NATIVE WOMEN MISSING AND/OR MURDERED IN CANADA

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND


MURDERED

Deborah Holmes

DEBORAH HOLMES on July 1, 2001. Debbie, who worked at the Native Council office, had been in a common law relationship for twenty-five years or more until 1998 when the relationship ended and Debbie Holmes and her daughter moved out of the family home and into an apartment two to three kilometers away. Barry and Debbie had two children.
Her common law husband, Barry Bradley, was not happy with the breakdown of the relationship and repeatedly expressed that he wanted Debbie to move back home with him. Barry attended at Debbie's apartment building uninvited, breaking in on more than one occasion, causing damage and scaring residents.
On April 1st, 1999, Barry was placed on probation and ordered to stay away from 10 Mutch Drive, Debbie's residence, from April 1st, 1999 to May 29, 2001. There were seven occasions between 1998 and 2001 in which Debbie Holmes called the police or 911 to complain about Barry Bradley's actions.
Barry admits calling Debbie's residence on two occasions on Saturday, June 30th, 2001. Tracey Bradley, Barry's sister, testified that Debbie told her Barry had called four times that day.
On Sunday July 1st, 2001, the morning of the murder, Barry Bradley had called Debbie's residence five times. The evidence shows that Debbie was not at home until shortly after 2:30 a.m. that morning.
At approximately 5 a.m. on July 1st, 2001, Barry drove to Debbie's apartment building and began pressing the buzzer to Debbie's apartment. Debbie called 911. The constant noise from the buzzer can be heard in the background on the tape of this call. The RCMP arrived at Debbie's home approximately 10 to 15 minutes later, but Barry had left by that time. While the police were there, Barry again called Debbie's residence. Cst. Jeremy Dawson answered the phone. When challenged by the police officer about his presence at Debbie's apartment, Barry explained that his "stay away order" had recently expired and he was allowed to be there. Barry further advised that he wanted to see his daughter. When the police officer said he was coming up to Barry's house to talk to him, Barry told Cst. Dawson not to bother coming up because he wouldn't let him in. Cst. Dawson stayed and spoke with Debbie for an additional 20 to 25 minutes.
Barry drove to Debbie's apartment approximately 90 minutes after Cst. Dawson's conversation with him and smashed his way into the building using an axe and carrying a hatchet. The first of several 911 calls came in a 6:42:23 a.m. In summary, the callers said there was a "madman with an axe breaking into the apartment", the "girls are screaming", that he "was in Debbie's room, beating her up", and he was "going ballistic". Some callers identified the intruder as Barry Bradley, and one identified him as Barry MacDonald.
The 911 dispatcher had immediately dispatched a car to the scene. Cst. Dawson says they arrived with police lights and sirens on "within 2 - 3 minutes tops" from the time they received the call. He and the other policemen entered the apartment building through the smashed door and saw Barry standing in the hall with blood on his clothing and holding a portable phone and looking into the apartment. One policeman secured Barry and the others checked on Debbie Holmes. As the police entered the building Barry said "my wife is dead" and "my wife needs help" and he pointed into the apartment.
The police immediately called an ambulance. The ambulance arrived shortly after, but Deborah Holmes did not exhibit any vital signs. The coroner was called and pronounced Ms. Holmes dead at the scene. The post-mortem report and the admissions of fact agreed to by the defence confirm that, among other injuries, the deceased had four chop wounds to her neck and six lacerations to her head and neck including the lethal blow which severed her spinal cord.
Several of the witnesses testified with respect to conduct and/or comments of the accused in the months, weeks and days leading up to the murder which would indicate some planning and deliberation of the murder of Deborah Holmes or certain aspects of criminal harassment against her.
Gary Bradley testified that his father had repeatedly stated that he was going to kill his mother if she did not return to live with him, whether within the next week, or within some other short time frame.
Several of the witnesses, including Gary Bradley, testified with respect to conduct and/or comments of the accused in the months, weeks and days leading up to the murder of Debbie Holmes. Gary Bradley testified that his father had repeatedly stated that he was going to kill his mother if she did not return to live with him, whether within the next week, or within some other short time frame. On direct examination Gary Bradley stated:" ... But he'd say other things too, like he, he did say like, one day he'd say you know jeez I love her, I wish she'd come back home, and then the next day he'd be saying he was gonna kill her, or not even, all within the same day. Like one hour he'd be saying jeez I love her, I miss her, I just wish her and J.C. would come home, and then he'd be like ah that stupid bitch I'll kill her before the week's over or before the day's over, whatever.
used as the murder weapon in his father's van in the time preceding the murder. He thought it was strange because there was no apparent need for a hatchet. He asked his father why he had it, was it for the house or for the shop, and the accused told him: ...no, no that's just, that's to kill your mother with... His testimony continued: ...He said one day the hatchet, he went and bought it at Canadian Tire. Yeah that's right, he told me. He said he went and bought it at Canadian Tire to kill my mother with. But sad enough we heard it so often, like a hundred times a day, you never really clued in. Further evidence at the trial was:
| - Three years before the murder - Bradley broke into another tenant's apartment in Debbie's apartment building demanding to know where Debbie was.
- Two years eight months before the murder - Bradley smashed through Debbie's apartment building front and back glass doors with a hammer, resulting in a stay away order.
- One year before - Mary Shaw was with Debbie when Barry called from jail and threatened to kill Debbie..
- Within the 6 months before the murder - Bradley made statements to the effect that he took Debbie here, he owns her, she belongs to him;.
- 3 Months before - Barry used his van and chased Debbie in her car on University Avenue..
- 2 Months before - Barry passed Debbie on the Hillsborough Bridge, made a u-turn, followed her and cornered her in her parking lot seeking to have a drink with her..
- 2 months before - Barry told Lori in reference to Debbie "I've had enough. I f---in', f---in', f---in' hate her.".
- Repeatedly in the few months before the murder Barry made statements to the effect that if Debbie didn't pack up her stuff and move back in with him in one week, he'd kill her, and that Gary and Lori should get the spare bedroom ready because J.C. would need a place to live after he killed Debbie..
- In a similar time frame Barry told Gary that "she'll know it if I go up there, I could put a bulldozer through that building"..
- One month before the murder - Barry told Lori to order Debbie's casket. He also told Lori that he would get off after he killed Debbie because he would plead insanity. .
- One Month before - Barry threatened Debbie at Gary's apartment stating again that she had ten minutes to get her stuff and move back home..
- At an unspecified time before the murder Barry told Gary that the hatchet he had in his van was for the purpose of killing Debbie..
- Frequently in the time frame leading up to the murder Barry made statements to the effect that Debbie's time is getting very, very short..
- Frequently in the time leading up to the murder Debbie told Lori of Barry's conduct including actions such as making frequent calls to her place of work, buzzing on her doorbell, or being in the next parking lot watching her..
- Eight or nine days before the murder Barry called the landlord to say he was at the apartment to see Debbie and nothing would keep him out..
- Seven to eight days before the murder Barry made a statement to Sheila Warren regarding putting paint thinner, a crowbar, or other items on Debbie's car and that he knew that was foolish and he did foolish things; (I don't refer to that statement as proof that he indeed did place those items on Debbie's car, but I do accept Ms. Warren's testimony that he made that statement implying that he was involved, and I consider it only for the threatening conduct towards Debbie that is entailed in that statement by the accused.).
- One week before Barry attended at her place of work at the Native Council and caused a ruckus..
- Two days before - Debbie told Tracey Bradley that Barry had threatened to kill her. - Less than two hours before the murder Barry was constantly pressing the buzzer for an extended period on the morning of July 1st resulting in Debbie calling 911..
- Minutes before the murder Barry smashed his way through the security doors and apartment doors and bedroom door carrying an axe and a hatchet and was making growling sounds.James Barry Bradley was found guilty of Murder in the First Degree and Criminal Harrassment. To read trial findings click HERE




MURDERED

Chrystal Beairsto

CHRYSTAL DAWN BEAIRSTO, aged 23 of Charlottown, PEI.
Chrystal was on her way to see her two-year-old son on the afternoon of Saturday July, 27, 2003. She never made it. Twenty four hours later, her battered body was found just off the Confederation Trail in Charlottetown.
Almost a day later, someone walking the Confederation Trail found the body of the 23-year-old near the Charlottetown Mall.
She had been raped, beaten and stabbed to death.
Police don't know if Beairsto was attacked there, or killed somewhere else and her body dumped in the isolated location. Her mountain bike, a T-shirt and her favorite baseball cap were found near the crime scene.
Police don't know if Beairsto was attacked there, or killed somewhere else and her body dumped in the isolated location. Her mountain bike, a T-shirt and her favorite baseball cap were found near the crime scene.
Beairsto worked in the mail room of the Guardian newspaper. She recently returned to school and had just finished completing her high school diploma at the time of her death.
She leaves behind two young children.
"If I ever had any problems or any troubles or anything, I just went to talk to her," says younger brother Larry. "She was the person I went to, if she had a problem, she'd talk to me."
Chrystal Dawn Beairsto's brother Larry says she left her Euston Street home Saturday afternoon at about 2:30, jumping on her new mountain bike headed for Wal-Mart.
There she spent some time with her common law husband, Al MacKenzie. MacKenzie, who works at the store, and Beairsto spent a few quiet moments together during his afternoon break.
Around four o'clock he went back to work and Chrystal's next stop would have been a visit with her son Danny, 2.
UNSOLVED

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