Post by LadyBlue on Jul 21, 2005 10:03:32 GMT -5
Edmonton residents are finally learning what happened to Liana White, but the most pressing question still isn't answered: Why was the woman who seemed like a happy wife and mother killed?
"We are still working on that," Detective Michael Campeau told reporters yesterday, a day after Mrs. White's husband was charged in her death. Det. Campeau added that the pregnant woman's slaying wasn't premeditated and police had never been called to the Whites' home before last week.
Dental records were used yesterday to identify Ms. White's badly decomposed and partly clothed body, which was found on Sunday evening in a ditch by a search party that her husband, Michael White, had organized.
Mr. White was quickly arrested and later charged with second-degree murder.
He has also faces a charge of committing an indignity to a dead body in connection with the 29-year-old medical clerk's death. The cause of death is still unknown, but Det. Campeau said "signs" on her five-foot-four, 150-pound body indicate she was "involved in a struggle."
Stunned neighbours, friends and co-workers have described Mr. White, a 28-year-old mechanic and former soldier, as a "gentle giant" and dedicated and loving family man. However, a more complicated picture emerges when his past is closely examined.
Since the early 2000s, he has struggled financially, a fact police say is part of their investigation.
In March of 2002, Mr. White faced a court-martial on charges of theft and of possession of stolen property when he was serving at the Edmonton military base, according to Captain Brian Martin.
Mr. White, who joined the military in 1997, was found guilty, reprimanded and fined. In November of 2002, the burly, bald man was released from the military. During the proceedings, he blamed money problems for the stealing, which spanned several years.
Court documents say Mr. White was ordered in 2000 to pay the Alberta government about $34,000 in connection with a car accident on the Edmonton base in 1998.
Mr. White also has significant debts with his wife, including outstanding liens on their two vehicles and a $166,000 mortgage on a $170,000 bungalow in northwest Edmonton
Yesterday, Mr. White made a brief court appearance in a blue jumpsuit and shackles, but isn't expected to enter a plea until July 26. He appeared overwhelmed and exhausted as he looked out into the packed courtroom. None of his family members or friends attended.
Many of them, including his mother, Carol Forbes, and his older brother, Bryan, travelled to Edmonton when news first broke that Ms. White had gone missing on her way to work last Tuesday morning. They also helped in the private search.
Det. Campeau said yesterday that Mr. White's media interviews in the days after the disappearance caused many investigators to wonder about his possible involvement.
"It's out of the norm for what a suspect usually acts like, so we took it into account and we are going to present it to the Crown," he added.
In the last interview Mr. White gave before being charged, he told a reporter that he was no Scott Peterson -- the California man convicted last year of killing his pregnant wife, Laci -- and that he was thrilled the couple were having another child.
"If they're thinking it was the husband, forget the husband. Let's find my wife," he said. The Whites also have a three-year-old daughter, Ashley.
Det. Campeau also said that Mr. White became a potential suspect before last weekend, after officers became "aware of certain evidence," but he wouldn't elaborate. He said they have collected about 150 exhibits.
He said that the families of both Mr. and Ms. White are devastated.
"It's a tragic day, it's not a victory for the police service. It's just a tragic day for two families. We're not here to celebrate anything. Unfortunately it's a tragedy for both sets of families. Liana's mom is not doing well at all."
The couple's daughter is believed to be in the custody of Ms. White's mother, Maureen Kelly, he added.
Det. Campeau said police could not charge Mr. White for the death of Ms. White's unborn child because Canadian laws do not allow a person to be charged with that type of death. He wouldn't comment about where the killing took place, although, police suspect Mrs. White died either last Monday night or Tuesday morning.
Mr. White's neighbours and co-workers at Yellowhead Truck Repair, where he has worked as a mechanic for the past three years, were visibly shocked upon receiving news about the charges.
Mr. White's manager at the truck shop, where he had worked for nearly three years, said he's still reeling.
"We're all in shock and awe," Rob Hansen said. ". . . We always though he was a very solid person, which makes us very distraught." He knew Ms. White and said she was always smiling.
In his hometown of Mar, Ont., many remember Mr. White as a big, lovable figure in the rolling fields of farm country north of Owen Sound.
"He's a friendly giant, I can't imagine him hurting anybody," said Kyle Stewart, Mr. White's cousin and a manager at the local IGA grocery story where Mr. White's mother manages the bakery department. "From the first time you meet him, you know he's a likable guy. I've never even seen him angry."
Mr. White's path to Edmonton and tragedy began about 10 years ago when he graduated from the local Wiarton District Public High School with an interest in joining the military to learn a trade, friends say.
Since then he has returned home sporadically, said Mr. Stewart, marrying Liana in Edmonton in 2000. Their first child was born a year later.
Back in high school, Mr. White would spend summers working at the IGA as a bag carrier, Mr. Stewart said.
During his teenage years, Mr. White was never in so much as a fist fight, said Jody Williamson, who graduated with him.
Instead of causing trouble, Mr. Stewart said, Mr. White used his strapping, young frame to work hard around the family farm, located near the main intersection and the only gas station in central Mar, which has a population of fewer than 100 people. The cattle farm had been his grandfather's, and is now run by his father Steve. A "White Acres" sign still hangs from a dark grey barn on the property.
Next door is the farm property of Mr. White's mother, Carol Forbes, who moved there after what friends called an amicable divorce from Mr. White's father when Mr. White was in his childhood.
"We are still working on that," Detective Michael Campeau told reporters yesterday, a day after Mrs. White's husband was charged in her death. Det. Campeau added that the pregnant woman's slaying wasn't premeditated and police had never been called to the Whites' home before last week.
Dental records were used yesterday to identify Ms. White's badly decomposed and partly clothed body, which was found on Sunday evening in a ditch by a search party that her husband, Michael White, had organized.
Mr. White was quickly arrested and later charged with second-degree murder.
He has also faces a charge of committing an indignity to a dead body in connection with the 29-year-old medical clerk's death. The cause of death is still unknown, but Det. Campeau said "signs" on her five-foot-four, 150-pound body indicate she was "involved in a struggle."
Stunned neighbours, friends and co-workers have described Mr. White, a 28-year-old mechanic and former soldier, as a "gentle giant" and dedicated and loving family man. However, a more complicated picture emerges when his past is closely examined.
Since the early 2000s, he has struggled financially, a fact police say is part of their investigation.
In March of 2002, Mr. White faced a court-martial on charges of theft and of possession of stolen property when he was serving at the Edmonton military base, according to Captain Brian Martin.
Mr. White, who joined the military in 1997, was found guilty, reprimanded and fined. In November of 2002, the burly, bald man was released from the military. During the proceedings, he blamed money problems for the stealing, which spanned several years.
Court documents say Mr. White was ordered in 2000 to pay the Alberta government about $34,000 in connection with a car accident on the Edmonton base in 1998.
Mr. White also has significant debts with his wife, including outstanding liens on their two vehicles and a $166,000 mortgage on a $170,000 bungalow in northwest Edmonton
Yesterday, Mr. White made a brief court appearance in a blue jumpsuit and shackles, but isn't expected to enter a plea until July 26. He appeared overwhelmed and exhausted as he looked out into the packed courtroom. None of his family members or friends attended.
Many of them, including his mother, Carol Forbes, and his older brother, Bryan, travelled to Edmonton when news first broke that Ms. White had gone missing on her way to work last Tuesday morning. They also helped in the private search.
Det. Campeau said yesterday that Mr. White's media interviews in the days after the disappearance caused many investigators to wonder about his possible involvement.
"It's out of the norm for what a suspect usually acts like, so we took it into account and we are going to present it to the Crown," he added.
In the last interview Mr. White gave before being charged, he told a reporter that he was no Scott Peterson -- the California man convicted last year of killing his pregnant wife, Laci -- and that he was thrilled the couple were having another child.
"If they're thinking it was the husband, forget the husband. Let's find my wife," he said. The Whites also have a three-year-old daughter, Ashley.
Det. Campeau also said that Mr. White became a potential suspect before last weekend, after officers became "aware of certain evidence," but he wouldn't elaborate. He said they have collected about 150 exhibits.
He said that the families of both Mr. and Ms. White are devastated.
"It's a tragic day, it's not a victory for the police service. It's just a tragic day for two families. We're not here to celebrate anything. Unfortunately it's a tragedy for both sets of families. Liana's mom is not doing well at all."
The couple's daughter is believed to be in the custody of Ms. White's mother, Maureen Kelly, he added.
Det. Campeau said police could not charge Mr. White for the death of Ms. White's unborn child because Canadian laws do not allow a person to be charged with that type of death. He wouldn't comment about where the killing took place, although, police suspect Mrs. White died either last Monday night or Tuesday morning.
Mr. White's neighbours and co-workers at Yellowhead Truck Repair, where he has worked as a mechanic for the past three years, were visibly shocked upon receiving news about the charges.
Mr. White's manager at the truck shop, where he had worked for nearly three years, said he's still reeling.
"We're all in shock and awe," Rob Hansen said. ". . . We always though he was a very solid person, which makes us very distraught." He knew Ms. White and said she was always smiling.
In his hometown of Mar, Ont., many remember Mr. White as a big, lovable figure in the rolling fields of farm country north of Owen Sound.
"He's a friendly giant, I can't imagine him hurting anybody," said Kyle Stewart, Mr. White's cousin and a manager at the local IGA grocery story where Mr. White's mother manages the bakery department. "From the first time you meet him, you know he's a likable guy. I've never even seen him angry."
Mr. White's path to Edmonton and tragedy began about 10 years ago when he graduated from the local Wiarton District Public High School with an interest in joining the military to learn a trade, friends say.
Since then he has returned home sporadically, said Mr. Stewart, marrying Liana in Edmonton in 2000. Their first child was born a year later.
Back in high school, Mr. White would spend summers working at the IGA as a bag carrier, Mr. Stewart said.
During his teenage years, Mr. White was never in so much as a fist fight, said Jody Williamson, who graduated with him.
Instead of causing trouble, Mr. Stewart said, Mr. White used his strapping, young frame to work hard around the family farm, located near the main intersection and the only gas station in central Mar, which has a population of fewer than 100 people. The cattle farm had been his grandfather's, and is now run by his father Steve. A "White Acres" sign still hangs from a dark grey barn on the property.
Next door is the farm property of Mr. White's mother, Carol Forbes, who moved there after what friends called an amicable divorce from Mr. White's father when Mr. White was in his childhood.