Week 5: Vader Flashcards
Who was Travis Vader? What was his life like before the McCanns were killed?
- He was a hard worker, he worked in the oil fields and eventually started his own
- Marriage was rocky, he had several children
- After his wife had an affair his life fell apart
Who were the McCanns?
- An elderly couple who went on an RV trip
- Their RV was found but they weren’t
What evidence did the RCMP have that the McCanns were killed?
- They found the green SUV 30 minutes from the campground
- Blood splatter on several items in the car that matched them to the McCanns.
- FIngerprints that belonged to a unidentified 3rd party
Who was Bandana Dave and why is he important?
- He was one of Vander’s friends
- Olson told the RCMP about Vader
- Vander needed money in the morning and then all of a sudden had money
- Earlier Vader used Olson’s phone to call his ex-girlfriend and later he McCanns phone was found it was seen that it was used to call the same person
What does the crown believe happened to the McCanns?
- The bodies are not found, but the McCanns had no reason to disappear
- Vader is linked to the SUV and cellphone
- Vader intended to steal from the McCanns and kill them to eliminate witnesses
What is a zombie law? What impact did it have in this case?
They are laws in the criminal code that have been declared invalid by the court but have not yet been removed.
It impacted this case, as it lowered his case, from second-degree murder, on two counts of manslaughter
It is used in this case as s.230 says homicide is murder if it is (1) during the commission of a robbery, which in this case Vader did, but he did not have the premeditation therefore this law was invalid
What was Vader ultimately convicted of? What was his sentence?
Vander was convicted of two counts manslaughter
He was sentenced to life, with no eligibility for parole for 7 years.
