Canadian True Crime - Matthew Charles Lamb: Canada's First Spree Killer [1]

Episode Date: September 9, 2024

Welcome back to a new season of Canadian True Crime![Part 1 of 2] The unbelievable story of 18-year-old Matthew Charles Lamb, who grabbed his uncle’s shotgun and took to the streets of Windsor, Ontario in 1966. What happened next involves the infamous Oak Ridge Experiment at Penetanguishene, a global mercenary career cut short, and one heartbroken author’s quest for truth.The intention of this episode is to take a look back at a shocking crime in the context of a very different era of Canadian history.Part 2 will be released in a week: September 16Listen ad-free and early: CTC premium feeds are available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast, giving you access 24 hours early without the ads. Please note: case-based episodes will always be available to all, we will never put them exclusively behind a paywall.This month, Canadian True Crime has donated to the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime, who offer support, research and education to survivors, victims and their families.Full list of resources, information sources and credits:See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canadian True Crime is a completely independent production funded mainly through advertising. You can listen to Canadian True Crime ad-free and early on Amazon Music included with Prime, Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast. The podcast often has disturbing content and coarse language. It's not for everyone. Please take care when listening. Hi everyone and welcome back to a new season of Canadian True Crime. I'm Christy Lee, thanks for joining me. And if you've just found the podcast because you saw my photo featured on Apple Podcasts Canada, a big welcome to you as well. And a huge thanks as always to Apple Podcasts.

You can find the Creators We Love feature on the browse page right now. Today, we have part one of a two-part series, covering a case that many listeners have requested over the years. It's the bizarre and frankly unbelievable story of Matthew Charles Lamb, the teenager dubbed Canada's first spree killer. On a hot summer night in 1966,

Matthew grabbed his uncle's shotgun and took to a residential street in Windsor, Ontario. He left a trail of victims in his wake. The crimes he committed were shocking enough, but it's what happened to Matthew Lamb before his shooting spree and after it that really makes his story feel like it's been ripped from the pages of some pulpy psychological thriller. Matthew found himself right in the middle of the infamous Oak Ridge psychiatric experiment in Penetanguishing, just one of the many strange turns his story takes. This mini-series has largely been put together from the news archives, notably The Windsor

Star and several books, including the definitive investigative book later written about the case called Watching the Devil Dance. The author, Will Toffin, had a very personal stake in the case, as you'll find out later. He would describe the life of Matthew Charles Lamb as too strange even for fiction. Some might consider that an understatement. This is the story of a teenage spree killer who slipped through the cracks of the system coming up in just a moment. Just a moment. Ever feel like there's just not enough time in the day? Between household chores, errands, exercise, the commute, finding time to enjoy a good

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So don't miss out on the Ready for Fall Sale. Visit loganandcove.ca slash ctc to take advantage of this offer exclusive to Canadian listeners. Claim your savings now at loganandcove.ca slash ctc. This story takes place in Windsor, Ontario, on the Canadian side of the Detroit River. The evening of Saturday, June 25th, 1966, was a hot one in the city, the third day of a four-day heat wave where temperatures often hovered above 32 degrees Celsius. The dark of night offered little relief. That evening, Anne Heaton was watching TV in the living room of a one-story bungalow she shared with her husband in Windsor's East End. It's a place where cute bungalows are interrupted by blocky two-story wartime houses built in the 40s and 50s for thousands of returning veterans.

No age was listed but from her photo on the front page of the Windsor Star, Anne Heaton looked to be in her late 40s or early 50s. Her husband was already asleep. The Heatons were taking a big road trip the next day and had plans to leave Windsor early. Sometime before 10.30pm, Anne heard a knock on the front screen door. She clicked on the porch light and saw a man standing on the stairs. He was lit from above, casting heavy shadows on his face. Suddenly she realised the man was holding a shotgun and he was pointing it straight at her. He said, I'm going to shoot you. Anne Heaton would later tell the Windsor Star that by some miracle she stayed calm. She immediately shut off the porch light and backed away from the door,

but the stranger followed her into the house. Anne said he just stopped and eerily looked around the living room. He didn't shoot her. He actually seemed to be looking for something. She could see now that he was a young, slight man with short, dark brown hair, and quote, the youth just stood there looking scared. The gun was still pointing at me and he was about four feet away. I was never so scared in my life.

Despite her abject terror, Anne had the wherewithal to call out to her sleeping husband, yelling for him to go and get his gun and call the police. This must have jarred the stranger out of his daze. As suddenly as he arrived, he fled, heading towards the Heaton's backyard and the overgrown field behind their house. Perhaps because of shock, or maybe because keeping a stiff upper lip was very much the norm back then, Ann Heaton did not call the police that night and evidently her husband had been in such a deep sleep that he didn't hear her yelling. So after having the fright of her own life, Anne decided to go to sleep too.

The next morning she did tell her husband what had happened. Mortified that a man with a gun had entered their home and threatened his wife, he insisted that they postpone their road trip vacation and head to the local police station right away. Detective Frank Chauvin was on desk duty that morning. Like a lot of officers, he was tired. He'd been up most of the night investigating a wild shooting spree that took place not far from headquarters.

Anne Heaton gave her statement about the strange young man who entered their living room with a gun and then fled. She also provided a description of the gunman. Detective Chauvin stopped what he was doing and asked the Heatons if they were aware of the deadly shootings just a few blocks away from their house at around the same time. They'd heard nothing, so he filled them in. Four people had been gunned down for no apparent reason at all. Three of them were just walking down the street. The fourth victim was shot inside her house through her screen door.

The spine tingling chill the Heetons must have felt when they heard this would have only been amplified when Detective Chauvin gave them the physical description of that gunman. Years later, Windsor author Will Toffin interviewed the detective for the investigative book he was writing about the case, called Watching the Devil Dance. Here's what Detective Chauvin recalled about his conversation with Anne Heaton. Quote, Mrs. Heaton's face went pale when she realized her description of the armed young man at her home matched the physical description of the shooter. I told her he was likely the shotgun killer that every police agency in southwestern Ontario was actively seeking.

It certainly appeared likely that this rampaging killer might also be the same gunman who made a terrifying stop in the Heaton's living room before slipping away into the night. night. Edith Chaikovsky didn't really want to go out that sticky hot June afternoon. Maybe it was the heat or maybe she was just tired from working long hours as a nurse's aide. Edith's mother had to nudge her 20-year-old daughter out the door to visit her brother Kenneth and his wife. It was Saturday night and she only wanted Edith to go out and do some socializing, but her nudge that day was something she would always live to regret.

22 year old Kenneth and his very pregnant wife Charmaine lived on Ford Boulevard in a small bungalow just a short bus ride away. Very few homes had air conditioning back then, so the trio spent the hot night chatting outside in the backyard. At around 10 o'clock, Edith finally rose to catch the bus home. Even though it was late, she was comfortable navigating this neighborhood at night. After all, it was the same street

where she'd lived as a child before her parents split up. Still, at the last minute, Kenneth and Charmaine decided to accompany her to the bus stop. As the three of them walked in the direction of the bus stop, they ran into some old friends hanging out on a nearby lawn. Andrew Woollock, Vincent Franco and Don Malusa were the best of friends and around the same age as 20-year-old Edith. In fact, they'd all attended the same grade school and immediately began swapping childhood memories. Andrew, Vincent and Don had been trying to figure out where to go that Saturday night. Do they hang out at the ANW or grab a drink at the Canada Tavern, a popular local bar.

Either way, they'd also have to walk towards Edith's bus stop, so all six decided to walk together, splitting up into three pairs. These are the kind of vivid details Vincent Franco recalled in a series of interviews he would later give to author Will Toffin. Vincent was the only survivor Toffin could find who was willing to open up about that tragic night, and their important details, because what happened next was likely determined by the order in which the six of them were now walking, with Don Malusa and Edith Tchaikovsky at the head of the pack, followed by her brother Kenneth and his wife Charmaine,

and Vincent Franco and Andrew Woolick. The group continued in the direction of the bus stop, walking on the darker side of the boulevard, the side without streetlights. They heard what sounded like a big party at a house up ahead, and as they got closer they could make out the silhouette of partygoers crowded in an open garage at the side of the house. It was later reported that this was a 25th wedding anniversary celebration. Suddenly the group was confronted by a dark figure who stepped

out from behind a tree in front of the party house. He said, stop put your hands up. He seemed to be holding what looked like a shotgun but no one thought it was real. Here's how Vincent Franco described the moment, quote, Remember those really cool toy guns sold back then? They look like shotguns or those old fashioned muskets. You shoved a piece of cork into the barrel and when you fired, the cork made a really loud popping sound as it flew out of the barrel. That's what I thought it was.

of the barrel. That's what I thought it was." Edith Tchaikovsky likely thought the same thing and quickly stepped around the man. That's when they heard the loud crack of a gunshot. They watched Edith fall flat on the ground in front of them, shot in the back at close range. The rest of the group stood there in complete shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The party goers up the driveway were still oblivious, perhaps thinking someone had set off a firecracker. Again, the strange figure yelled, hands up! Seized by terror, this time Andrew Wulick complied. As he shakily lifted his hands, the gunmen shot him too, this time in the abdomen. Some of the pallets hit Edith's brother Kenneth in the arm and hip. Mayhem broke out.

Vincent Franco rushed in the direction of the party with a wounded Kenneth and his pregnant wife Charmaine. They frantically warned people that someone was out in front of the house shooting people. Vincent grabbed a beer bottle and like out of a western movie, smashed it in order to create a jagged weapon in case the gunman was in pursuit. Meanwhile, Don Malusa knelt down beside Edith. in case the gunman was in pursuit. Meanwhile, Don Malusa knelt down beside Edith. He assumed his former classmate was already dead, though he told the Windsor Star she tried to mumble some words

but he couldn't understand her. That's when he ran to a nearby house, banging on the door for the occupants to call the police. By then, the gunman was gone. It was later discovered that he had discarded his spent shells and reloaded while running away from the scene. Across the street, 19-year-old Grace Dunlop was watching TV in her living room, while her fiancé David sat in the kitchen repairing fishing nets. Like the Heetons, they also had plans to head out the next morning for some fishing.

And while David didn't think much of the loud noises, Grace was startled. She decided to investigate. She turned on the side light and made her way down the short flight of stairs to peer down the driveway. At that exact moment, the gunman came running past her screen door. He saw Grace's silhouette. Then he shot her too at close range. The sound of the bullets crashing through the screen door nearly sent David flying off his chair.

He ran towards his fiance, now slumped forward on the stairs. The gunman was now one street over, making his way to Anne Heaton's house. We know he spooked her on the porch, then followed her into her house. He stood dazed in her living room, pointing his gun at her. But when Anne called out for her husband, he disappeared into the dark of night, just as all four of his victims were being rushed to the hospital. To deal with this unprecedented medical emergency, the hospital had to call 15 emergency blood donors in the middle of the night.

Windsor police escorted more donated blood from London, Ontario, two hours away. The doctors spent all night trying to save Edith Chaykoski's life, but her head and chest wounds were too serious and she died aged 20. Her 22-year-old brother, Kenneth Chaykoski, had suffered an injured right elbow and hip and would eventually recover from his injuries. But the trauma that his wife Charmaine Chaykoski suffered put her at risk of losing her baby. She would remain closely watched for the remainder of her pregnancy. Only one of the three young men who walked with them to the bus stop that night was shot. Andrew Woolock was left in critical condition with serious internal injuries.

At one point, the Windsor Star reported that his condition had improved, but then it worsened and he died 17 days after the shooting. He was 21 years old. The Windsor star described Andrew Woolock as a celebrated local athlete and second year honor student in chemical engineering at the University of Windsor. Unfortunately, it was the norm of the day to provide no such description for the women involved. Edith Tchaikovsky was often just referred to as the dead girl in media reports. And although Andrew's two friends, Vincent Franco and Don Malusa, weren't shot themselves, they would never forget what happened that night.

Neither would 19 year old Grace Dunlop, who suffered abdominal injuries to her right side from being shot through her screen door. She would spend eight days in the hospital recovering from palate wounds to her hip. She even lost a kidney. The survivors may have recovered from their injuries, but mentally none of them would be the same again. The following day, Monday June 27th of 1966, the front page of the Windsor Star put all the dark facts together. together. Above the headline that read, Youth Terrified City Housewife, were four words in bold blocky letters. Charge Youth Ambush Slayer. The day after the shootings, police quickly arrested a young man named Matthew Charles Lamb.

He was only 18 years old, but he was already very well known to the police. At the time, Matthew had been living with an uncle, not too far from the murder scene. The uncle had tipped off the police after noticing his shotgun was missing. Police nabbed him the next day while he was visiting with his grandmother. Here's how the arresting officer later described that moment to Will Toffin for his book. Quote, Lamb was sitting quietly on a recliner,

shirtless and perspiring from the heat, drinking a beer as he watched television. He was as calm as could be, quietly listening as I told him he was under arrest on suspicion of murder of Edith Tchaikovsky and wounding three others. Matthew Charles Lamb was charged with capital murder. If found guilty, he'd be hanged. Matthew Lamb's story begins like too many of these stories do. He was a boy who didn't seem to be wanted by the people around him. His mother was just 15 when she had him and when he was a baby she left him with his maternal

grandmother in Windsor. His step-grandfather told the Windsor star that he believed Matthew suffered from feelings of rejection from early on. Quote, his father was killed in the United States. Matthew never knew him. We raised him and he only saw his mother occasionally. And by occasionally that meant a short visit every one to three years according to court reports. Matthew Lamb's step-grandfather claimed his early years were unremarkable. Quote,

When he lived with us we thought he'd grow up to be like anyone else. He appeared to be a normal boy. There was no evidence of any violence in those years. It was after he left us that the problems with the police began. But Matthew's oldest friend, Gregory Sweet, gave the Windsor star a very different account of his early years. According to Gregory, his friend was sadistically cruel at a very young age. He claimed that Matthew once held a knife to a child's neck and forced him to eat dog feces. He always carried a knife and by the time he was 13, he regularly had a gun on him too.

Gregory also alleged that Matthew once walked down his street in Windsor and shot at the houses of the people he didn't like. None of these incidents were reported to police, so it's only Gregory Sweets' account that we can rely on. Later, Gregory would tell author Will Toffin that Matthew locked his younger cousins in a closet, issuing dire threats if they tried to escape, and that he once beat a cousin so badly that he required hospitalisation. Matthew Lamb himself would later tell his defence lawyer that his step-grandfather used to beat him, and often referred to him as that little bastard. This was an era in which being born to a single mother or being from a broken home

held a lot of social stigma. When Matthew's grandparents retired, they moved to a smaller house and sent him to live with one of his uncles. For a while, he attended a local Catholic high school before dropping out in grade 10. After that, he cycled through a series of odd jobs, including a stint as a golf caddy. Old friend Gregory Sweet claimed Matthew once caddied for singer Sammy Davis Jr, likely in town performing at the Elwood Casino where he was a fixture back in the 60s. Apparently Matthew told him that he thought it was wrong for a black man like Davis to have red hair. Gregory also said Matthew tried to join the KKK, but couldn't find a chapter on the Canadian side of the border. Soon after he turned 16, Matthew Lamb finally faced the consequences of his escalating bad behavior.

In February of 1964, two years before the deadly shooting, he punched a police officer in the face at an arena where a Valentine's Day dance was taking place. It was a completely unprovoked attack. He was also carrying a knife, a chain and some brass knuckles. The assault marked the first, but certainly not the last, time Matthew Lamb's name made the Windsor Star. For that crime, he was sent to a Christian-based juvenile facility for six months.

His friend Gregory told the Windsor Star that it was around this time that Matthew had made a collection of bullets, each inscribed with the name of a police officer he hated. Furniture shopping can seem like a battle between style and function, but it doesn't have to be. Check out Cozy, a Canadian furniture company designing innovative, functional and timeless pieces that can adapt to your changing needs. You've asked and Cozy has listened. Introducing the Neptune, the world's most versatile sofa bed.

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podcast, Crime Beat Most Wanted. Police need your help bringing these criminals to justice. Search for and follow Crime Beat Most Wanted on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and all your favorite podcast platforms. After Matthew got out of juvenile detention, he began a period of couch surfing. Sometimes he stayed with one of his uncles, sometimes a friend, but otherwise had no fixed abode. It didn't take long for Matthew to get in trouble again and the violence was escalating. The following account is from another old friend of Matthew Lamb

from when he was younger. This friend became an RCMP officer and after he retired he agreed to speak with Will Toffin for his book but requested to use the pseudonym Roger Hammond. Roger Hammond told the author that he'd met Matthew Lamb at the Lakewood Marine, a store in the village of Tecumseh. It was a regular hangout for a lot of local boys where you could buy boats and sporting goods and also guns and ammo. Buying firearms was easy back then. Lakewood Marine was owned by a couple of brothers named Bernie and Roy Desjardins. They often mentored the teenage boys that hung out at the shop, giving them odd jobs to earn some

money. Matthew Lamb and Roger Hammond were among them. This was the mid-60s, and one of the more popular things to do during any downtime was to go hunting for pheasants in the bush around the store. The Desjardins brothers would lend the boys a shotgun if they needed one. Roger Hammond recalled that one time, he went hunting with Matthew Lamb and

after they bagged a couple of pheasants they headed back to the store. Out of nowhere and entirely unprovoked Matthew suddenly shot the dirt behind Roger's legs. Roger said he felt the bullets whiz past him. He screamed, What are you crazy? You could have killed me. What was that all about? Matthew just stood there pointing the gun at him. Finally, he let out a menacing giggle, repeating the words, I could have killed you. Roger Hammond defused the situation by downplaying it and trying to laugh it off. Anything to get back to the store unscathed. When he told the Desjardins brothers what happened, they stopped allowing Matthew Lamb

to have access to their guns. So he stopped coming around the store for the rest of that fall. Then came December of 1964, Lakeview Marines annual Christmas Eve party. The Desjardins brothers lit a cozy fire and allowed the boys they'd been mentoring a couple of celebratory beers. Matthew Lamb made a surprise appearance. But what wasn't surprising was the fact that he was already drunk when he arrived. Most people who knew him back then agreed that he had a problem with alcohol and often drank to excess. For a while, he just hung out, enjoying the festivities. He even played a little hockey on a makeshift rink. Then everyone left to be with their families on Christmas Eve, as the Desjardins brothers locked up the store.

Roger Hammond was staying with his aunt at the time, and that aunt happened to be dating Bernie Desjardins, so Bernie offered Roger a ride home. As they drove out of the parking lot, they both noticed Matthew Lamb sitting by himself on top of a snowbank. Rumour had it that the uncle Matthew was staying with at the time had just kicked him out, and not for the first time, the 16-year-old probably had nowhere to be on Christmas Eve. Although Bernie Desjardins was wracked with guilt for leaving Matthew there, he had plans

to propose to Roger Hammond's aunt that very night, so they pressed on home. No more than half an hour had passed when Bernie received a call from police telling him his store had been robbed. They wanted him to return to figure out what was stolen. A police constable picked him up a short time later and the men headed back to Lakewood Marine. The first thing they noticed was the shattered storefront glass. A quick look inside confirmed that the thief had made off with some guns and ammo. They decided to take a look around the perimeter of the property. Here's what happened next, according to Will Toffin's book, Watching the Devil Dance. Quote, The two men were approaching the dense underbrush when Bernie Desjardins suddenly stopped walking.

He intuitively sensed danger and, using the excuse of poor visibility, convinced the constable to abandon the search until the morning. So the two men had begun walking back towards the police car when gunfire suddenly erupted from the gully, two bullets just missing them. The men dove for cover. The officer immediately returned fire. Suddenly from the dark, they heard a voice say, don't shoot, I'm coming out. Bernie Desjardins was shocked that the figure who emerged from the dark, with his hands raised in the air, was Matthew. The same wayward teenager he and his brother had tried to take under their wing.

The news of Matthew Charles Lamb's arrest made the Windsor star. He was now charged with possession of a weapon dangerous to public peace, breaking and entering, and theft. He pleaded guilty in court, and given his prior conviction for assaulting a police officer, he was sentenced as an adult. The presiding judge told the courtroom, quote, and the loggers we always have with us. Fortunately, those willing to shoot at another human being in order to prevent apprehension are in the minority. When it occurs, however, it is conduct meriting a penitentiary sentence. Matthew Lamb was sentenced to two years

at Kingston Penitentiary, the mandatory minimum sentence for crimes of this nature. He was still only 16 years old. Matthew Lamb's brief stay at one of Canada's most notorious maximum security prisons was reportedly marked by violence and a bout of suicidal depression. He was also punished with long stays in solitary confinement at Kingston Pen. Then there was the night that guards found him in his cell,

kneeling by his bed with a broomstick lodged in his anus. This was something prison officials deemed as deeply aberrant behavior. Will Toffin wrote that Matthew was sedated after that incident and diagnosed with hypomania, a milder form of the manic episodes we might now associate with bipolar disorder. But not long after, he did it again, with a handle from a mop he was using while on janitor duty. Matthew claimed this time he was only joking, that he did it just to bother the guards.

Nonetheless, he was sent for further psychiatric evaluation. Along with his hypomania, he told the doctor that he was still having violent fantasies involving guns. Matthew was found to be, quote, in a marginal state of mental pathology and a schizoid element in his behaviour had developed. Despite this poor prognosis and the fact that prison doctors deemed him a high risk for reoffending, he was released from Kingston Penitentiary after serving 14 months of his 24-month sentence. By this time, he was 18 years old and returned to Windsor to live with one of his uncles, Stanley Hasketh, who had a wife and two small children. They only agreed to it on the condition that Matthew get a job, which he did, as a

woodworker's apprentice making $80 a week. But it was only two and a half weeks later that Matthew Lamb took his uncle's shotgun and headed out into the night. He shot four innocent people, sending Windsor police on a wild chase for a spree killer on the loose. He was last heard yelling, There are still more I have to get. By the time Matthew Lamb made his first court appearance, the weapon had been found behind the Heaton's house. It was, indeed, his Uncle Stanley Hasketh's shotgun.

Several witnesses also picked him up out of a line up. Plus, he already had a record of gun violence. Matthew was charged with capital murder, which carried an automatic death penalty in Canada at the time. What led Matthew Charles Lamb to commit such a crazed act? Was he truly insane or was he really just a calculating killer? These are some of the questions that psychiatric professionals of the time were trying to get answered. In the months leading up to the trial, Matthew was subjected to a barrage of psychiatric tests, all designed to determine what happened that night

and whether he was fit to stand trial at all. The first psychiatric test was conducted at the county jail in Windsor. During the one hour interview with the doctor, Matthew claimed he couldn't remember shooting anyone. And when informed that Edith Tchaikovsky had died, he reportedly giggled and said, poor broad. Here's how author Will Toffin describes the rest

of that session in his book. Quote, Lamb dominated the interview, purposely avoiding specific questions about the night of the shootings. Lamb frequently changed the subject while strutting around the county jails holding room complaining how he just wanted a normal life like other kids his age. Then quickly changing tack by bragging of the money he'd saved for a new car while cautioning the doctor that he had the kind of friends you don't mess with.

Lamb displayed all the classic traits of the violent psychopath, the self-centered sense of entitlement, grandiosity, and attempts to establish control over the interview process." The Windsor doctor came to the conclusion that Matthew Lamb had suffered from a temporary psychotic break and couldn't appreciate the full consequences of his actions. The doctor declared him legally insane or mentally unfit to stand for trial. But the Windsor judge wasn't buying it. He sent Matthew to another psychiatric hospital, this time in St Thomas, Ontario. There, the 18-year-old decided to tell a doctor what happened that night. He recalled coming home from work to his uncle Stanley's house and drinking about eight beers.

He watched a violent Western on TV, then fell asleep at about nine o'clock. When he woke up about an hour later, he said he grabbed his uncle's gun. Matthew told the doctor he found himself walking down Ford Boulevard in a kind of a trance. He came upon the group of young people walking on the sidewalk on the darker side of the street and started shooting. He said it was as though, quote, another person committed the crimes. By the time he reached Ann Heaton's house, he said he had come to his senses, shocked to be holding a gun in his hand. This doctor also reached the conclusion that Matthew was mentally ill,

quote, coming out of an acute psychotic episode and was returning to sanity as he stood inside the doorway of the Heaton home, end quote. Still, the judge sent him for a third series of tests, this time to the notorious Oak Ridge Facility for the Criminally Insane in Penetanguishing, Ontario. Built during the Great Depression in 1933,

it was Ontario's only maximum security forensic mental healthcare facility for more than 80 years. There, Matthew Charles Lamb was examined by no fewer than five psychiatrists, including Dr. Elliot Barker, a name that will figure prominently later on. All five doctors at Oak Ridge were unanimous in their belief that Matthew knew

what he was doing that night and that he remembered it all as well. But they were split on whether he actually understood the gravity of his crimes. Three doctors felt that he was incapable of understanding the consequences. The other two disagreed. They believed he was fully aware of how wrong it was to shoot those people. During the tests in the months leading up to the trial, Matthew Lamb remained behind bars and his behavior was reportedly unremarkable. But three weeks before the trial, he went on a bizarre three hour rampage in the

jailhouse, setting fires, breaking dozens of windows and damaging the plumbing. This violent outburst seemed to come out of nowhere, a gift for the defence no doubt, who could use it to argue that he had a propensity to suddenly break with reality and lose control of himself. Matthew's defense lawyer was a keen young lawyer from Legal Aid named Saul Nozenchuk. If the name sounds familiar to listeners, that's because 14 years later, he would become the presiding judge in the Raymond LaRoche trial, a story we covered earlier this year. LaRoche was the 19-year-old found guilty of manslaughter in the death of his seven-month-old son, baby Raymond.

As Matthew Charles Lamb's defense lawyer, Saul Nozhenchuk's job was to gather all of the information and reports and begin to piece together his argument that Matthew was insane, that he was not of sound mind when he committed these crimes and therefore he couldn't be found guilty of murder. This would mean that Matthew would have to forego any plea deals to lesser offences like say manslaughter or second-degree murder. This was a risky prospect and the stakes were high.

If Saul Nozhenchuk's defense failed, his client would likely be found guilty and hanged. But if he succeeded, would that increase the chances of a psychopathic killer being back on the streets yet again? yet again? Matthew Lamb's capital murder trial began in Windsor on January 16th of 1967, just over six months after the shootings. He had just turned 19 years old and he spoke only once on day one when he pleaded not guilty. One of the first people to testify against Matthew Lamb was his own uncle Stanley, the one he was staying with when he took to the streets holding the shotgun that night. Stanley Hasketh told the jury that his nephew

had only been released from Kingston Pen a little over two weeks before the shootings and described him as being well behaved since, maybe too well behaved. Matthew reportedly asked permission for everything, from having a cigarette to taking a bath, a habit likely formed during his months behind bars. On the night of the shooting, Stanley said he and his wife left their children with Matthew so they could enjoy an evening out, a date night. When they returned home after midnight, the neighborhood was blockaded by police.

The radio blared reports about a deadly shooting nearby. Inside the house, the kids were asleep. So was Matthew. Stanley said he had a bad feeling his nephew was involved. That feeling was confirmed when he saw shotgun shells scattered across the kitchen table. He then realized his gun was also missing. Stanley Hasketh testified that he woke up his nephew to ask about his missing shotgun. Quote, He said he didn't know what happened, but that he must have done it. End quote. Matthew grew agitated with his uncle's questioning

and eventually broke down sobbing before he fell back asleep. Stanley told the jury that given his nephew's odd behavior that night and his propensity for violence, he decided to sit vigil at his kitchen table until sunrise. Then he went to the police. The survivors of the shooting had their day in court too. The survivors of the shooting had their day in court too. There was Edith Chaikowski's brother Kenneth and his wife Charmaine, and Vincent Franco and Don Mellusa, Edith's grade school classmates who were walking to the bus stop along with Andrew Woollock, who lost his life. Each provided similar descriptions of Matthew Charles Lamb from that night.

A figure in the dark, devoid of emotion, behaving almost robotically. Charmaine described him as quote, small and thin-faced, adding that he looked dirty and unkempt, like someone just coming off work. She was able to clearly pick Matthew Lamb out of a police lineup, boldly placing her hand on his shoulder. Grace Dunlop chillingly described how she could hear the gunman loading his gun seconds before he shot her through the side screen door of her house. She added, quote, It appeared to me as if he was weary, it was sort of a hunched walk. Anne Heaton described how he stood in her living room

looking around, seemingly confused and scared, before fleeing the house with his gun. Like Charmaine, Anne easily picked Matthew Lamb out of a police line up. Then the court heard the heartbreaking details of Edith Czajkowski's death. Both ambulance attendants said she was in great pain as they tried to save her. She'd been shot in the back at close range. The bullets didn't even have time to disperse. range. The bullets didn't even have time to disperse. She took the full blast of the casings, which left a gaping exit wound below her navel. During the autopsy, they removed 31 pallets from her abdomen. Ever feel like there's just not enough time in the day? Between household chores, errands, exercise, the commute, finding time to enjoy a good

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Visit audible.ca today. On day three of the trial, the first of seven psychiatrists who had examined Matthew Lamb testified, including the doctor from Kingston Penitentiary, the same doctor who signed off on Matthew's early release, two weeks before he went on his shooting spree. On the stand, the doctor reiterated that Lamb was in a fragile state when they released him from prison, likely bordering on psychotic. At that point in the trial, survivor Vincent Franco reportedly disrupted the proceedings and yelled, then why did you let him out early? The doctor never answered this question, but he did stress that the reason they didn't keep him in any longer was because he was showing signs of improvement. In the doctor's opinion, Matthew Lamb was not, quote, certifiably insane.

The chief investigator would later tell author Will Toffin about this doctor's testimony and the impact it had on the defense's case. Quote, that psychiatrist who came down from Kingston penitentiary was the most impressive witness in my opinion. He said that the combination of factors such as Lam's emotional state, the violent gunfights on a John Wayne television show he watched on the night of the killings, coupled with Lam's drinking about eight beers in that unbearable humid weather, all came together in such a way that it set Lam off on his shooting spree." This same investigator said that he and Matthew Lamb had become friendly over the months, having spent a lot of time together. During a brief recess in court, Matthew reportedly told

that investigator, quote, Those guys arguing in court are the crazy ones, not me. I'm fine. I know exactly what I'm doing. They should be getting treatment instead of me. It's just that killing a stranger means nothing to me. It feels just like stepping on a bug." Matthew had apparently made a similar comment to Dr. Elliot Barker, who drove down with three colleagues from Oak Ridge Mental Hospital for the criminally insane in Penetanguishing to testify for the defense. They were among the doctors who believed the now 19-year-old was criminally insane and should be found not guilty.

When the judge asked Dr. Barker if he thought Matthew could comprehend the true nature of his crimes that day, he replied, quote, Emotionally, Lamb considered his killings the same way you or I might view swatting a fly. Another doctor from Oak Ridge who testified for the defense agreed, telling the court that Matthew once said, quote, I hate everybody on the street and I will probably kill someone else before I die. It doesn't bother me at all. It's like stepping on a bug.

This doctor added that Lam was uniquely afflicted, quote, to me he's no ordinary criminal. He's a sick man. Violent, unpredictable, obsessed with guns and brimming over with resentment, these are familiar characteristics the average modern mass shooter might possess. But in the mid-60s, this crime and this kind of criminal was rare. Matthews defence lawyer Saul Nozenchuk was hoping the bizarre novelty of this senseless crime could only mean the shooter was not of sound mind, that a person had to be genuinely insane to commit such a widely random act of such brutality. When Nozhenchuk wrapped his defense, he was confident that he'd made the case that Matthew Charles Lamb was insane.

Whether it was stress, the hot weather, the alcohol, the violent movie, or a combination of those factors, something triggered in him a sudden and deadly break with reality. Matthew was in some kind of psychotic trance with no sense of right or wrong when he shot those four innocent people, killing two. Nozenchuk also reassured jurors that even if Matthew was found not guilty by reason of insanity, he'd still spend the rest of his life in custody at some kind of facility for the criminally insane. The defense lawyer described the shootings as quote, about as remarkable and grotesque a piece of conduct by a human being as anyone could imagine.

He ended his closing arguments by telling the jurors quote, even without the evidence of any experts, your own common sense would tell you he was very seriously ill and had no capacity to appreciate what he was doing or perceive the consequences. The position of the Crown Prosecution was that Matthew Charles Lamb knew exactly what he was doing when he left his uncle's house with a shotgun that hot summer night, that he was indeed a cold-blooded killer. One of the first witnesses for the prosecution was a doctor that Matthew never saw in person. Still, it was his opinion that the 19-year-old acted out of

hatred and bitterness. He believed from what he read about Matthew that he set out to deliberately hurt someone that night, describing it as, quote, a disability or disorder of the mind, but not a mental illness. This doctor added that Matthew was capable of, quote, the gamut of emotion, except guilt or conscience. He told the jury it's comparable

to being a perfectly healthy person with amputated fingers. The crown painted a dark picture of a deeply disturbed young man who was manipulating the courts to stay out of prison. Quote, would slick con artists have a field day and striving to be classified as insane and not criminally responsible? Would the shrewd psychopathic criminal

have a much easier time in the hospital for the mentally ill than in a federal penitentiary? End quote. Of the nine medical experts who testified at the trial, seven said Matthew Charles Lamb was insane and shouldn't be held criminally responsible for his actions. The other two said that though he might have experienced

bouts of insanity, Matthew knew full well what he was doing that night. Therefore, he should be hanged for his crimes. On January 20th of 1967, the last day of the trial, the all male jury was dismissed at 4.30 p.m. They deliberated for only two hours before returning with a verdict that same evening. They found 19-year-old Matthew Charles Lamb not guilty by reason of insanity. In the days that followed, the Windsor Star ran

competing editorials, including this angry one by columnist W. L. Clark, who wrote, quote, killed by Lamb. A person who is insane is no less a killer. The result for the victim is equally fatal. What to do about these loonies? How should they be placed in some sort of protective care? How can they be kept from breaking loose?" End quote. On the flip side, another columnist, John Lindblad, agreed with the verdict, writing that Lamb was, a living time bomb of violence ticking towards explosion. Quote, the day of June 26th, 1966 was a day of mad dog violence when Matthew Charles Lamb ran into the streets with a shotgun and shot a girl he never knew and fatally wounded a 21-year-old

student, also a stranger to him. It was just one of those mad things in a mad world. And for that reason, correctly, a jury returned a not guilty verdict by reason of insanity. No other verdict was possible. Lamb, a terribly mentally sick person, will be confined to a mental hospital." End quote. The so-called mental hospital where Matthew Lamb was sent was the notorious Maximum Security Oak Ridge facility for the criminally insane

in Penetanguishing, Ontario. And that's where his story takes yet another turn. Matthew arrived just as the infamous Oak Ridge psychiatric experiment was getting started. And he found himself right in the middle of it. Oh, really, I don't feel any guilt about people I kill. I don't know them. They mean nothing to me. I can't know them, they mean nothing to me.

I can't even remember what they look like or anything. I mean, here's two innocent people that I'd never met, never bothered me, never caused me any problems, or good people as far as I know. You know, and I just shot them for it. Thanks for listening. That and a lot more is coming up in part 2, available in a week. If you're listening ad free on one of our premium feeds, look out for early release on Amazon Music included with Prime, Apple Podcasts, Patreon and Supercast.

As always we'll be posting news clippings and photos mentioned in this episode on the Canadian True Crime Facebook and Instagram pages. The podcast donates monthly to those facing injustice. This month we have donated to the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime who offer support, research, and education to survivors, victims, and their families. Learn more at crcvc.ca. This case was researched and written by Lisa Gabriel.

Audio editing was by Eric Crosby, who also voiced the disclaimer. Our senior producer is Lindsay Eldridge, and Carol Weinberg is our script consultant. Narration, additional research and sound design was by me and the theme songs were composed by We Talk of Dreams. I'll be back soon with the final part of this series. See you then. Music