Matthew Baillie Begbie — The Hanging Judge

Murder Behind Vinyl: The Tragic Death of Lukas Strasser-Hird

Episode 417: In the early hours of November 23, 2013, 18-year-old Lukas Strasser-Hird was violently beaten behind the Vinyl nightclub in Calgary, in an alley off 10th Avenue Southwest. He was rushed to the hospital, but the injuries were too severe, and he died later that morning from multiple stab wounds and massive blood loss. Walk with us through the events that led from a night out at the club to one of Calgary’s most closely watched murder cases, and examine how the chaos in that alley would ripple through the city, the courtroom, and the lives left behind. Sources: Lukas Strasser-Hird | Global News, Videos & Articles [https://globalnews.ca/tag/lukas-strasser-hird/] R.I.P Austin Lukas Strasser-Hird | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/RIP.Lukas.Strasser/] R v Cabrera, 2019 ABCA 184 (CanLII) [https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2019/2019abca184/2019abca184.html] R v Cabrera, 2021 ABCA 291 (CanLII) [https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2021/2021abca291/2021abca291.html] R v Gervais, 2019 ABQB 344 (CanLII) [https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2019/2019abqb344/2019abqb344.html] R. v. Shlah, 2019 SCC 56 (CanLII), [2019] 4 SCR 136 [https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2019/2019scc56/2019scc56.html] FM010_Appellant_Franz-Emir-Cabrera SCC File No.: 38677 [https://www.scc-csc.ca/pdf/case-documents/38677/FM010_Appellant_Franz-Emir-Cabrera.pdf] Lukas Strasser-Hird - Obituary | Calgary Herald [https://www.newspapers.com/image/488159200/] The final homecoming of Lukas Strasser-Hird - National | Global News [https://globalnews.ca/news/6702465/crime-beat-lukas-strasser-hird-murder/] 1st-degree murder conviction upheld for Calgary man in swarming death - Calgary [https://globalnews.ca/news/7012622/calgary-murder-conviction-nighclub-swarming-nathan-gervais-lukas-strasser-hird/] Nathan Gervais sentenced to life with no parole for 25 years in Lukas Strasser-Hird swarming death - Calgary [https://globalnews.ca/news/5313850/nathan-gervais-murder-sentence-lukas-strasser-hird-death/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Matthew Baillie Begbie — The Hanging Judge

Episode 416: Matthew Baillie Begbie (1819–1894) served as the first judge of mainland British Columbia during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, arriving in 1858 as the colony struggled to impose order across a fast-growing and often violent region. Known to many as the “Hanging Judge,” Begbie presided over cases from Yale to Barkerville, travelling long distances to hold court in mining towns and settlements. His legacy remains contested: some describe him as a firm and capable judge working within the limits of colonial law, while others point to cases like the 1864 trials and executions of six Tsilhqot’in men following the Chilcotin War as evidence of a system that failed Indigenous people. Here, we examine Begbie’s life, his rulings, and the lasting impact of his role in shaping justice in British Columbia. Sources: Heritage - Tŝilhqot’in National Government [https://tsilhqotin.ca/our-nation/heritage/] Prime Minister delivers a statement of exoneration for six Tsilhqot’in Chiefs [https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2018/03/26/prime-minister-delivers-statement-exoneration-six-tsilhqotin-chiefs] Chilcotin Hangings of 1864: Canada’s Colonial Injustice [https://cedarvia.ca/resources/injustice-and-reform/chilcotin-hangings] B.C. redresses wrongful hangings of Tsilhqot'in war chiefs [https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2014PREM0109-001604] Essays in the History of Canadian Law, Volume VI: British Columbia and the Yukon - Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History [https://www.osgoodesociety.ca/book/essays-in-the-history-of-canadian-law-volume-vi-british-columbia-and-the-yukon/] BEGBIE, Sir MATTHEW BAILLIE – Dictionary of Canadian Biography [https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/begbie_matthew_baillie_12E.html] Parks Canada - Begbie, Sir Matthew Baillie National Historic Person [https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=939] Judge Begbie Hangs Chiefs - British Columbia - An Untold History [https://bcanuntoldhistory.knowledge.ca/1860/judge-begbie-hangs-chiefs] Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie | Grave [https://oldcem.bc.ca/tours/em_rb_tour/sir-matthew-baillie-begbie/] Memoirs and Documents Relating to Judge Begbie [https://hallmarkheritagesociety.ca/archives/history-articles/memoirs-and-documents-relating-to-judge-begbie/] https://www.lillooet.ca/sir-matthew-baillie-begbie [https://www.lillooet.ca/sir-matthew-baillie-begbie] Justin Trudeau exonerates Tsilhqot’in chiefs hanged in 1864 ‘Chilcotin War’ [https://globalnews.ca/news/4106290/justin-trudeau-exonerates-tsilhqotin-chiefs-hanged-in-1864-chilcotin-war/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

The Legend of the Thunderbird

Episode 415: For generations, people across North America have reported seeing enormous birds, describing wingspans that seem impossible and encounters they struggle to explain. Long before those reports were written, the Thunderbird was already known in many Indigenous cultures, where it is understood as a powerful and sacred being associated with thunder, lightning, and the forces that shape the natural world. For some, it is symbolic. For others, it is real. These are living traditions that deserve care and respect. Sources: The Thunderbird Indigenous Symbol [https://spiritsofthewestcoast.com/collections/the-thunderbird-symbol] Thunderbird (mythology) | Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunderbird_%28mythology%29] Jun 13, 1927, page 24 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com™ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/430580721/?match=1&terms=%22Thunderbird%22%20creature] Aug 06, 1933, page 45 - The Sunday Oregonian at Newspapers.com™ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1082812393/?match=1&terms=%22Thunderbird%22%20creature] Aug 20, 1933, page 3 - The Ogden Standard-Examiner at Newspapers.com™ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/596459955/?match=1&terms=%22Thunderbird%22%20creature] Tombstone epitaph (Tombstone, Ariz.), April 26, 1890 | Library of Congress [https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn95060905/1890-04-26/ed-1/?sp=3&q=Monster+monster+Winged+winged&r=-0.706,0.218,2.413,1.278,0] Legend or Lie? The Tombstone Thunderbird | kgun9.com [https://www.kgun9.com/entertainment/legend-or-lie/legend-or-lie-tombstone-thunderbird-sighting] r/Cryptozoology | What about Thunderbird? [https://www.reddit.com/r/Cryptozoology/comments/18x94av/what_about_thunderbird/] r/Cryptozoology | Thunderbird sighting? [https://www.reddit.com/r/Cryptozoology/comments/dsrzp0/thunderbird_sighting/] Thunderbird — A Canadian Legend | Mysteries of Canada [https://mysteriesofcanada.com/newfoundland/thunderbird-a-canadian-legend/] Thunderbird Stories from the Canadian Shield | Mysteries of Canada [https://mysteriesofcanada.com/saskatchewan/thunderbird-stories-from-the-canadian-shield/] Large-bodied birds are over-represented in unstructured citizen science data - Scientific Reports [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-98584-7] Thunderbird | CryptidWiki [https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Thunderbird] Why Giant Bird Sightings Still Appear Today [https://www.headcountcoffee.com/blogs/coffee-news/why-giant-bird-sightings-persist-in-modern-cryptid-reports] PROOF of the Tombstone Thunderbird - Forgotten History [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf6tpIbDLic] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Redo and Update: The Monster of Miramichi

Episode 414: In the fall of 1989, the Miramichi region of New Brunswick became a place of unimaginable terror as escaped killer Allan Legere, the Monster of the Miramichi, unleashed a seven-month rampage of sexual assault, arson, and murder. He beat to death beloved store owner Annie Flam, strangled and burned sisters Donna and Linda Daughney in their home, and tortured and killed Father James Smith in his rectory, crimes on top of his earlier conviction for murdering shopkeeper John Glendenning during a savage home invasion. We covered Legere in episodes 18 and 19 in the pre-Mathew days. But now, with his death in a maximum-security prison at age 78 on March 9, 2026, it’s time to remember the horrific crimes, the victims and the community that endured him. Sources: Serial Killer, Allan Joseph LEGERE - AKA The Monster of the Miramichi [https://www.serialkillercalendar.com/Allan%20Joseph%20LEGERE.php] Law Library | Our Unique Digital Collections | Allan Legere | UNB [https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/law/library/digital-collections/allan-legere/index.html] Death of an inmate from Edmonton Institution | Corrections Canada [https://www.canada.ca/en/correctional-service/news/2026/03/death-of-an-inmate-from-edmonton-institution.html?utm_source=miragenews&utm_medium=miragenews&utm_campaign=news] LEGERE, Allan Joseph | Serial Dispatches [https://serialdispatches.com/alphabetical-list-of-serial-killers/list-of-serial-killers-l/legere-allan-joseph/] 18: Allan Legere – Monster of Miramichi – Part 1 (NB) – Dark Poutine [https://darkpoutine.com/2018/03/18-allan-legere-monster-of-miramichi-part-1-nb/] 19: Allan Legere – Monster of Miramichi – Part 2 (NB) – Dark Poutine [https://darkpoutine.com/2018/03/19-allan-legere-monster-of-miramichi-part-2-nb/] Allan Legere Voir Dire July 1991 [https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/law/library/_resources/pdf/legal-materials/allan-legere/voir_dire/legerevoirdire_voli_april22-23_opt.pdf] R. v. Legere (A.J.) (1994), 156 N.B.R.(2d) 321 (CA); [https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/law/library/_resources/pdf/legal-materials/allan-legere/court_of_appeal/rv_legere_aj_nbr.pdf] Rick MacLean & André Veniot — Terror: Murder and Panic in New Brunswick (McClelland & Stewart, 1990) [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1856683.Terror] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Indefensible: The Murder of Dr. Mohd Abdullah

Episode 413: On the afternoon of March 11, 2022, Dr. Mohd Abdullah left work at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia, that afternoon for a meeting with his lawyer. It was supposed to be a discussion about money, hundreds of thousands of dollars that Abdullah believed his lawyer had mishandled... He never returned. Sources: R. v Bagabuyo, 2026 BCSC 327 (CanLII) [https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2026/2026bcsc327/2026bcsc327.html] Mohd Abdullah Obituary - Kamloops, BC [https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/kamloops-bc/mohd-abdullah-10697965] Mohd Abdullah | News, Videos & Articles [https://globalnews.ca/tag/mohd-abdullah/] Mohd Abdullah at Thompson Rivers University [https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/33930] Nearly 60 pieces of evidence entered at trial of B.C. lawyer accused of murdering his client | RCI [https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/2156853/nearly-60-pieces-of-evidence-entered-at-trial-of-b-c-lawyer-accused-of-murdering-his-client] Kamloops lawyer accused of murder granted bail [https://vancouversun.com/news/crime/kamloops-lawyer-accused-of-murder-granted-bail] Murdered TRU faculty member remembered as quiet, kind man [https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/364001/Murdered-TRU-faculty-member-remembered-as-quiet-kind-man?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Meticulous timeline built from receipts, GPS data and security footage sealed fate of killer Kamloops lawyer [https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/597869/Meticulous-timeline-built-from-receipts-GPS-data-and-security-footage-sealed-fate-of-killer-Kamloops-lawyer] Video surveillance clips show Kamloops lawyer's movements before, after alleged murder [https://www.castanetkamloops.net/news/Kamloops/548895/Video-surveillance-clips-show-Kamloops-lawyer-s-movements-before-after-alleged-murder] Former B.C. lawyer found guilty of 1st-degree murder after killing his client in 2022 | CBC News [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/butch-bagabuyo-verdict-9.7072700] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]