Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History
True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.
Merciless: The Murder of Constable Michael Sweet
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, loving husband, and devoted father of three young girls, all under ten years old, who lost his life in the line of duty at the hands of two brothers whose names would become synonymous with brutality: Craig Alfred Munro, 28, and his 21-year-old brother, James Scott Munro.
Sources:
1983 CanLII 3542 (ON CA) | R. v. Munro | CanLII1984 CanLII 3608 (QC CA) | R. v. Vaillancourt | CanLIIOct 20, 1983, page 19 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comOct 28, 1980, page 3 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 21, 1980, page 9 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 19, 1980, page 3 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 17, 1980, page 14 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 15, 1980, page 1 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.comMar 15, 1980, page 9 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Podcast Episodes
Final Justice: The Murder of Beverley Ann Dyke
Episode 405: On the 17th of May 1984, 48‑year‑old Beverley Anne Dyke was found brutally murdered in a wooded area near Moray Street and Saskatchewan Avenue on the edge of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her killing, a frenzied sexua…
Left in the Cold: The Winnipeg Homeless Murders
Episode 404: In April 2015, someone began targeting some of the city’s most vulnerable residents: men living rough, sleeping outside, and often already failed by every system meant to protect them. By the time the killin…
The Melady Murders: Canada’s Last Public Hanging
Episode 403: Nicholas Melady Jr. was 24 years old when he stepped onto a wooden scaffold above the stone walls of Goderich Gaol in December of 1869, about to become the central figure in Canada’s last public hanging afte…
Black Friday: The 1987 Edmonton Tornado
Episode 402: On July 31, 1987, an ordinary summer afternoon in Edmonton, Alberta, ended in catastrophe. A powerful tornado cut through the city’s southeast, killing 27 people and leaving entire neighbourhoods destroyed i…
Vancouver’s 1907 Anti-Asian Riots
Episode 401: At the start of the twentieth century, Vancouver, B.C., was a fast-growing Pacific port. Most residents were white settlers of British or European descent, but Chinese and Japanese communities were already w…
The Clara Ford Affair: Race, Rumour, and the Shooting of Frank Westwood
Episode 400: In October 1894, 18-year-old Frank Westwood was shot on the doorstep of his Parkdale home. The killing shocked Toronto and sparked a frantic search for a suspect. Weeks later, a mixed-race tailor named Clara…
Out With the Old: The Dark and Weird Side of New Year’s Traditions
Episode 399: As the clock strikes midnight, not everyone welcomes the New Year with champagne and resolutions. In this episode of Dark Poutine, we explore the darker, stranger, and sometimes dangerous traditions used aro…
Christmas Special 2025: The Great Canadian Butter Tart Heist
Episode 398: It was supposed to be a quiet Canadian Christmas—until every butter tart in the country vanished overnight. From Nanaimo to Newfoundland, kitchens were left empty, bakers bewildered, and the RCMP at a loss.…
Demon of the Belfry: The Murders of Blanch Lamont and Minnie Williams
Episode 397: In April 1895, two young women, both twenty-one, from San Francisco’s Emmanuel Baptist Church vanished days apart. Blanche Lamont, a dedicated teacher-in-training, and Minnie Williams, a hardworking domestic…
Road Trip: Deadly Prophecy — The Children of Thunder
Episode 396: In this episode, we learn about an enigmatic narcissistic psychopath who led the Californian cult called The Children of Thunder. Glenn Taylor Helzer, and the other leadership was comprised of his brother Ju…
