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.