Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History

Episode 375: On a bleak November afternoon in 2003, Toronto’s east end became the unlikely stage for a crime so brutal and bizarre that, even years later, it defies belief. The victim was 12-year-old Johnathon Robert Madden, a boy remembered by teachers and friends as “kind and thoughtful,” the kind of child who would go out of his way to walk a younger classmate home just to ensure he was safe....

Episode 374: On a frigid February night in 2020, the quiet streets of Calgary’s Bowness neighbourhood became the scene of a tragedy that would send shockwaves through the city and beyond. Melissa Rae Blommaert, a loving mother and devoted friend, was found fatally injured—her life stolen in a brutal act of violence. The investigation quickly turned toward someone heartbreakingly close to her: her...

Episode 373: In the shadowy annals of North American crime, few names evoke as much dread as H.H. Holmes, a master manipulator, a conman, and a predator who thrived in the chaos of a rapidly changing world and the man often called America’s first serial killer. Born Herman Webster Mudgett, Holmes’s reign of terror began in Chicago, where he constructed his infamous “Murder Castle”—a labyrinth of...

Episode 372: In the spring of 2007, Glen Douglas Race’s violent odyssey escalated from a regional nightmare in Nova Scotia to an international manhunt that spanned two countries and left a trail of devastation in its wake. After the murders of Michael Knott and Trevor Brewster, Race fled Canada, later claiming that he was driven by delusions of a supernatural war against “demons” and “vampires”...

Episode 371: In early May 2007, Nova Scotia was shaken by a series of brutal murders that would eventually be linked to a single man: Glen Douglas Race. Over the course of just over a week, two well-liked men — Paul Michael Knott and Trevor Charles Brewster — were killed in separate, violent attacks. The case would expose not only the horror of the crimes but also the tragic intersection of...

Episode 370: In this episode, we journey into the chilling case of Jesse Imeson—a man whose troubled past and violent crimes left a deep scar on Southwestern Ontario. In the summer of 2007, Imeson's name became synonymous with fear as he embarked on a deadly spree, taking three innocent lives. The victims were Carlos Rivera, 25, of Windsor and Helene Regier, 72, and her husband, Bill Regier, 73,...

Episode 369: In the quiet city of Jonquière, Quebec, the brutal 2000 murder of 19-year-old Guylaine Potvin sent shockwaves through her community and left investigators baffled for over two decades. For years, the case grew cold, with few leads and little hope for justice. But in 2022, a remarkable breakthrough in forensic science and persistent detective work finally led to the arrest of...

Episode 368: Here, we delve into the life and crimes of Brigitte Denise Cleroux, examining how she repeatedly evaded regulatory scrutiny, the suffering she caused, and the systemic failures that enabled her persistence for so long. This story is a chilling tale of deception, exploitation, and the profound breach of trust within Canada’s health-care system. Cleroux masqueraded as a nurse for years...

Episode 367: In the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, the world awoke to the shocking news that South African Olympic and Paralympic hero Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his girlfriend, a 29-year-old paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, inside his Pretoria home. Pistorius, celebrated for overcoming the loss of his legs to become a global sporting icon, now stood accused of a crime that...

Episode 366: On a cold night, March 14, 1980, the city of Toronto was shaken by an act of violence that would leave a deep scar on its police force and forever change the lives of one family. It was the kind of crime that, decades later, still echoes in the halls of justice and the memories of those who lived through it. This is the story of Constable Michael Sweet, a dedicated police officer,...