Non-Capital Murder

The police now felt Kathy McKenzie was killed the night of the party and her body was kept at the Adanac apartment until the 26-27 January.

On February 16, the R.C.M.P. returned to the suite to further investigate. The logical place for the body to be kept was the cold-storage room, or wine cellar, and the search started there. Particles of a white substance, similar to lime, was found in the room and in the passage outside. More of this substance was discovered by the back gate leading to the lane. On a shelf in the room, one small lump was found and it what appeared to a fingerprint. Later, it was identified as belonging to Dorothy Irish.

That same night, the police found out that Horvat recently purchased a Vauxhall station wagon from a man he met in a beer parlour on January 25. A general pick-up was issued for the vehicle. On the 17th, Horvat and Irish were arrested by the Victoria Police due to a complaint of a purse snatching in the city. The R.C.M.P. were notified and travelled to Victoria to question the couple on the morning of the 18th.

Dorothy was interviewed first. She denied having any knowledge of how McKenzie was killed. She said Kathy left for Toronto as planned on the morning after the party and Irish hadn't seen her since.

Irish was returned to her cell and there she told her cellmate a different story. The cellmate told the police and they re-interviewed Dorothy. This time, Irish stated she thought McKenzie had left for Toronto but three days later Horvat told her he had found the girl's body in the storage room. Since they were involved with drugs, the couple were afraid to go to the police. Dorothy went to the store and bought some garden lime. She put the lime on Kathy's face and hands in the hopes of destroying the girl's identity so it wouldn't lead back to Horvat and Irish. Ivan Horvat then bought a car, drove out to Mission and dumped the body.

Next, the police questioned Ivan Horvat. Initially, he claimed he found the girl's body in the storage room but once faced with Irish's statement; he changed his story and admitted to killing Kathleen McKenzie.

"We were all using mescaline, and Kathy started freaking out. She said that she was going to see the man I owed money to for the drugs and then said that she was going to the police. I was scared because she knew a lot about a lot of people. Someone hit her, I don't remember who, and we took her into the bedroom and tied her hands and feet together with nylons. She started to scream, and I was scared because of all the drugs I had in the house. I stuffed toilet paper in her mouth. She was quiet after that. We finished the party and, after everyone had left, Dorothy and I checked on her and found that she was dead.

We decided on the lime so that she could not be linked to us, then we took her to Mission and dumped her."

Horvat went on to further explain to the police that 'Mommy Sonny' was there when he tied Kathy up. He claimed people were looking for him because he owed $8,000 for heroin to his supplier.

Irish and Horvat were taken to Vancouver and charged with the murder of Kathleen McKenzie and with interfering with a dead body. Irish was also charged with being an accessory after the factr of non-capital murder.

Horvat was convicted of Non-Capital murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Irish was found not guilty of murder and the other charges against her were not proceeded with. She was released.

Thanks to the book Policebeat: 24 Vancouver Murders by Joe Swan for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Loose Lips

The apartment on Adanac Street was photographed and dusted by the R.C.M.P. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and a part roll of toilet tissue was seized so it could be compared with tissue found on the body.

Kathleen McKenzie, the victim if you remember from Monday's post, worked as a topless dancer at the Gulf Club. The Gulf Club was a seedy night-spot on Hastings Street, which was involved in prostitution and narcotics. Kathleen herself was arrested three times in 1972 for possession of marijuana and police suspected the young woman of trafficking drugs on a street level.

Police located an ex-boyfriend of McKenzie's, Douglas Stewart, on February 8. Stewart told them he last saw Kathy on the evening of January 18. He, Kathy, Horvat and Irish drank beer together at the Dominion Hotel beer parlour. Another girl, known as "Momma Sonny" was also there. They were having a party in Kathy's honour because she was leaving for Toronto the next day.

When the bar closed, the group continued the party at the Adanac apartment. There, they drank beer, did some marijuana and mescaline and played cards. Stewart left around 4:30 am but the party was still going strong.

Stewart informed the police that Horvat was heavily involved with heroin dealing, had recently obtained three ounces of the narcotic from a man known as "Screwie Louie" at the Penthouse Cabaret on Seymour Street. Horvat was dealing the stuff with a man named Jake.

According to Kathy's ex, Douglas last saw Horvat and Irish on January 31. They were driving to Calgary.

A week later, on February 15, the police brought Douglas Stewart in for further questioning. They had received information that Stewart knew more about the murder than he was saying.

Stewart cracked. He told the police that two days after the party, Horvat told him that he and Irish dumped Kathy's body in Mission. When Douglas asked why she was killed, Horvat answered the young woman had been talking too much about the drug business. The couple also weren't in Calgary. Their car broke down so they went to Victoria instead.

Thanks to the book, Policebeat: 24 Vancouver Murders by Joe Swan for the above information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.