They found Mark Twitchell guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison. And there's this huge revelation about "Oh yeah, I bought a red car off a guy." We're gonna take a drive. Steve Lillibuen: Which, you know, I find quite surprising considering that the way he ended up in prison I believe it's been taken down since then. Jimmy Siokos tells "48 Hours Mystery" about what it was like to work with Mark Twitchell on a "Star Wars" fan film. This is the story of my progression into becoming a serial killer., In the document, he described setting up his kill room and gathering plastic sheeting, a steel drum for the body parts, as well as weapons like a butcher knife, a fillet knife, and a serrated saw for the bones.. Twitchell had attempted to lure another victim to his kill room earlier that month. The Dexter killer, whose real name is Mark Andrew Twitchell is a Canadian filmmaker who is convicted of the first-degree murder of John Brian Altinger. Mark Twitchell was born in Edmonton, Canada but spent several years He was sentenced to 25 years to life. He worked as a Canadian filmmaker and was convicted of first-degree murder in April 2011. Dexter Killer Mark Twitchell was an aspiring filmmaker whose scripts bore a striking resemblance to his crimes. His trial attracted particular media attention because Twitchell had allegedly been inspired by the fictional character Dexter Morgan. I just remember reading it all and just was fascinated by this document going, "Holy mackerel.". So anytime I'd seen one I'd always have my flashlight with me and would get out and actually take a look. Troy Roberts: These weren't ramblings of a crazy man. Mark Twitchell, a low-budget filmmaker in Edmonton, Alberta, was obsessed with Star Wars. Mark represented himself as a woman and allured Johnny into meeting him. In SK Confessions, he wrote that though the crimes were not a copy-cat [of] the style of Dexter Morgan, he still wanted to pay homage to the character. And to Steve Lillebuen, who corresponded extensively with Twitchell for his book, The Devils Cinema: The Untold Story Behind Mark Twitchells Kill Room, Twitchell said, As youre aware, Dexter has almost nothing to do with my case. The day after Twitchell was arrested in connection to Altinger's death, police found a suspiciously deleted file on Twitchell's computer labeled "SK Confessions". Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and later gained a That's changed slightly I now know that you killed John Altinger. He wouldn't do this to us. They divorced within 4 years. Eventually, Twitchell revealed his true identity. Two weeks after the disappearance of Johnny Altinger at a garage film set, police had sharpened their focus on filmmaker Mark Twitchell. I believe the victim entered the garage and was attacked by another male who was wearing a hockey mask . This is who he is. Bill Clark [in car in front of Twitchell's house]: What I said was, "We're investigating a missing persons. Det. In 2007, Twitchell directedStar Wars: Secrets Of The Rebellion, a full-length fan film prequel to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He was lured out on the promise to meet this guy at this coffee shop And when he got about three blocks from his house, the tactical team swooped in on him and took him down. Renee: I'm a huge fan of the Showtime show "Dexter." Along the way, Twitchell also seemed to develop an obsession with murder and death. Mark, on the other, hand used media for his appeal. BILL CLARK [to Twitchell in police car]: Look familiar Mark? MURDERER Mark Twitchell has become known as the Dexter killer due to his obsession with the TV show. Steve Lillibuen: Mark Twitchell had actually been granted access to finish watching the series while he was incarcerated. It is what it is and I am what I am., Lillebuen, however, has his doubts. On October 3, 2008, Gilles Tetreault followed directions to a location in Edmonton where he was supposed to meet a woman named "Sheena" he met online. Bill Clark: He looked pretty comfortable in the interview. WebHe was found guilty during a jury trial in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison. WebHis name was Mark Twitchell and the aspiring filmmaker was renting a two-door garage (above) in Edmonton, Canada as his make-shift film studio. They were interested in speaking with anyone who had worked on "House of Cards," where actor Chris Heward's character meets an untimely, bloody end in the film. Julia Cowley: Yes. The murder charges have yet to proven in court and Mr. Twitchell has yet to make an appearance. He writes extensively about what he's going to wear, the weapon that he chooses. In 2017, he was allowed to join an online dating website for inmates. Det. The evidence in The Dexter Killer case and newly revealed letters from police stated that Mark wanted to be like the fictional character Dexter Morgan. ", Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events, Lamar Johnson: "I am a freed man and a blessed man", Chad Daybell's kids claim he was "fooled in worst, most deadly way possible", Moms chatting at a water park help crack a cold case murder, Letters from Mark Twitchell: Inside the mind of a killer. These are the words of Mark Twitchell, written to investigative journalist and author Steve Lillibuen: Steve Lillibuen [reading letters]: "It would appear that I'm unique in the world. ", "SK CONFESSIONS" PASSAGE: "I grabbed him by the leg as if to drag him back into the garage caveman style.". ", Lillibuen read one of Twitchell's letters: "I killed Johnny Altinger in a horrific accident of self-defense. It has no bearing whatsoever on what actually happened. He added, It sometimes scares me how much I relate.. Stars Wars stuff all over the unit, but hey, whatever people collect, they collect.". We did a film about killin' a guy in here and I filmed it all. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Cops say killer Mark Twitchell is obsessed with the TV show Dexter, Mark Twitchell was sentenced to life in prison in April 2011, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Gilles Tetreault: I wasn't really afraid of him at that time. In the end, the jury took just five hours to find Mark Twitchell guilty. What led to this happening? Twitchell started running a dating website Plenty of Fish in 2008 and that is when the real trouble started. Chris Heward: My character was killed with a samurai sword. When Tetreault got home, he discovered the profile on the dating site had been deleted. You have entered an incorrect email address! Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The Sun additionally reported that passages in SK Confessions lined up almost perfectly with Gilles Tetreaults police interview, as Tetreault had come forward with his own experience after reading about Twitchells arrest. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she earned a double degree in American History and French. Luminol tests later revealed excessive amounts of human blood that wasn't visible to the naked eye. At that instant, I knew there was no date.. Susan Zirinsky and Judy Tygard are the executive producers, First published on April 23, 2022 / 11:12 PM. Bill Clark: He thought he was way smarter than the police. "SK Confessions" described the killer finally choosing a sewer to dump the remains, but that's where the pages stopped. Produced by Asena Basak. Heward left the garage film set unharmed but rattled. Mark Twitchell is a real-life killer inspired by the fictional character Dexter Morgan. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. It came out that Mark used a dating site to allure men by presenting himself as a woman. The names and events were altered slightly to protect the guilty. Twitchell wrote numerous letters to the journalist, with Lillibuen telling CBS Newsthat he found themurderer of Johnny Altingerto be very responsive to letter writing. Troy Roberts: You guys were driving around and there was a camera trained on him in the back of the police car. First look at Britain's biggest EVER stage for King Charles' coronation concert, Souness fights back tears as he announces emotional retirement on Sky Sports, Sky Sports' Martin Tyler slammed for 'racist' comment about Spurs star Son, Iconic high street favourite to return after 4 years as shoppers 'can't wait', News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Why didn't I tell somebody where I am?". Det. Julia Cowley: And while he's technically not a serial killer he was headed in that direction if they hadn't have caught him. So how did this young Canadian filmmaker end up accused of horrific acts? After cursorily shoving aside my human sensibilities, I dealt with his remains in a disrespectful manner that traumatized me forever.". Goin', "Yeah, this isn't right. "SK CONFESSIONS" PASSAGE: "Please stop hitting me oh my skull.". He graduated from a radio and television program at the You know, we had a lot in common. Julia Cowley: He's a depraved individual, and he knows that. Joan Adelman and Michelle Harris are the editors. Born on July 4, 1979, Mark Andrew Twitchell grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Renee [reading email]: "There's an enormous missing person, possible homicide investigation going on centralized around a location I've rented for film work. He is still in Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary. In April 2011, Twitchell was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. "I crossed the line and I did something and I liked it". Bill Clark | Edmonton Police: To hear how everything happened it was like you're watching the movies But now we have it happening in real life. Police believed Mark Twitchell's garage resembled a scene right out of the Showtime series "Dexter." WebExtra: Jimmy Siokos on Mark Twitchell. After all, she was an aspiring writer and a friendship with a movie maker could open doors. This is the story of my progression into becoming a, . It contained all details about Marks planning, failed attempts, successful attempts and even the process of how he dismembered the body and disposed of the remains., Joe Metheny: The Baltimore Cannibal Who Turned Human Victims Into Hamburgers, Did You Know That A Woman Started Fathers Day? Gilles Tetreault: I'm scared that he might want to finish what he started and come after me. Large amounts of blood had been spilled on the floor of the garage. So, there was obviously troubles in paradise there, we knew that Mark Twitchell had been having an affair with an old girlfriend and lying to his wife about having a job. The once talkative movie director barely uttered a line. After reading about Mark Twitchell, the Dexter Killer, discover the story of Pedro Rodrigues Filho, Brazils Dexter-like serial killer. 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Tetreault fought back in a violent struggle and escaped the horrific scene, but didn't report the attack until seeing the hockey mask at a police press conference following Altinger's death. Twitchell himself admitted to killing Altinger and authoring the document but he stated that he did it in self-defence. BILL CLARK [to Twitchell in police car]: So, in order to finish the movie, we have to find the body, take it back to the people, the family done. Embarrassed and confused, Tetreault convinced himself that perhaps it wasn't as serious as he first thought. He next tried to dump them into the river but was afraid of being seen. Their email exchanges soon became dark. Dexter Killer: Everything about Mark Twitchell, the Killer who wore a Hockey This story is based on true events. On one of his blogsites, Mr. Twitchell wrote last year that he felt he was answering a higher calling to re-energize a franchise that creator George Lucas had fumbled by focusing more on computer imagery than plotlines. Bill Clark: They had been livin' and basically sleeping in separate bedrooms. DET. Det. I was just really bewildered. That's when he grabbed my legs and started pulling me back to the garage. In May 2013, it was reported by the National Post that Twitchell had purchased a television for his prison cell. I am Mallika Singh, a lawyer and writer by profession. And a week later, another man, 38-year-old Johnny Altinger, went to meet a date at Twitchells garage. Star Wars toys over the Internet before his wife divorced him, alleging "extreme and repeated mental cruelty. Renee: I thought it was gonna be like a working relationship, a working friendship. He rented a garage, found potential victims on dating apps, and set the scene with plastic sheeting, a table, and different kinds of weapons. Mark was born in Edmonton, Alberta and always dreamt of making blockbuster films. Det. And her suspicions kept growing with another email he sent. Bill Clark: I don't think he ever imagined in a million years what would happen to him in that garage. Gilles Tetreault: I can't do this, I gotta fight back so I got up and I ripped the tape off my eyes. In fact, he seemed guilty of nothing more than wanting to brag about his film career. of the Rebellion (2007), a fan film for the Star Wars franchise that Later, Twitchell insisted that hed lured Tetreault and Altinger to the garage because he thought hed attack them and let them escape so that when his movie came out theyd come forward, thus creating buzz.. "Dexter" on his mind, Twitchell drew a portrait of Michael C. Hall the actor who plays him. In May 2013, it was reported by the National Post that Twitchell had purchased a television for his prison cell. The killer then attempted to burn the remains in a barrel but failed. Det. Det. Troy Roberts: Why didn't you go to the police immediately? I have never heard of this thing. We don't even know if we have a crime. Det. Twitchell graduated from the Radio and Television Arts program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 2000. Troy Roberts: What are you thinking when you hear that? Mark directed Star Wars: Secrets of the Rebellion (2007), a full-length fan film prequel which was set a few days before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. JUSTICE DONE Both Lillebuen and police say that Twitchell's fascination with the TV killer Dexter Morgan carried over into his real-life crimes. Tetreault decided he wasn't waiting to find out. But the property also had a second purpose: a man was planning on parking here and ducking under the bay door as he headed toward the house, where a beautiful woman supposedly Gilles Tetreault: And he tore a piece of tape and he covered my eyes with it. Det. And Mark Twitchell's explaining, "Oh, no, that's my movie prop. But just one week later, another man, Johnny Altinger, would answer a similar dating ad and disappear. Troy Roberts [watching interrogation video]: You didn't get much of a reaction, did you? MICHAEL C. HALL (audio): it is horrifying to entertain the notion that something you did inspired that. Suffice it to say that I crossed the line on Friday, he wrote. Are we parked right on top of the sewer where you dumped the body? Twitchell posed as a woman on dating site Plenty of Fish and arranged to meet John Altinger, 38, on Thats about people with criminal minds. WebMark Twitchell had turned his obsession with Star Wars into making a fan film. He's not gonna admit to anything. Bill Clark: No, he's uh well he knows not to say anything he's talking to his lawyers. He proved himself highly disorganized and erratic during the filming. It's a combination of a sexual motive and thrill killing. No root cause there is no school bully or impressionably gory movies or Showtime television series to point the finger at. He graduated from a radio and television program at the Once Johnny went to the concerned place, Mark stepped him, before cutting him apart, partially burning him and then dumping his remains in garbage bags into a storm sewer. So obviously that's what we're gonna look for first. Mark is often referred to as the Dexter Killer because of his fond love and personal identification with the lead character, Dexter Morgan. I'm like "Wow, why was my punch so weak? Chris Heward: "How much of the blood splatter on the wall was from your filming?" Following the narrative, police believe Altinger was then stabbed and dismembered on a makeshift autopsy table. Armed with the directions, police were led directly to that garage. Renee: And I wanted her dead, at the time. Questions Lillibuen hoped might be answered when he got a call out of the blue from Mark Twitchell himself. Police believe that Johnny Altinger was hit over the head with this pipe shortly upon entering the darkened garage. Fortunately, it took police far less time to catch up with Mark Twitchell than it took their fictional counterparts to catch up to Dexter Morgan. Yet Twitchell continued to make excuses. Seven days after Tetreault was attacked, police say Twitchell wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. When Gilles Tetreault went to meet his online date named "Sheena" at the set location of Twitchell's garage, he was attacked by Twitchell in a hockey mask. Julia Cowley: I think he identified with Dexter to some degree. When Gilles Tetreault went to meet his online date named "Sheena" at the set location of Twitchell's garage, he was attacked by Twitchell in a hockey mask. Despite Twitchell telling the police that the document was a screenplay, investigators would come to find out it was a detailed account of Twitchell's crimes. Apart from this, Marks case was featured in the American magazine Crime Watch Daily. That he purchased a car for $40? Det. One passage about a knife read: "I thrust it into his gut. It is what it is and I am what I am.". Bill Clark: It's almost like, at times, Mark Twitchell lives in a fantasy world. Twitchell was impounded by the police when they found Altingers blood in his cars trunk. Det. Bill Clark: You know, one of the first things we did was check the police records figuring hopefully someone called the police on this. small following among sci-fi fans when he directed Star Wars: Secrets DETECTIVE [interrogation]: Altinger Does that name ring a bell to you or mean anything to you? Updated on: April 26, 2022 / 11:45 AM He had a table set up for his victims. Steve Lillibuen: So, the motive is the mystery, the why did he do this. Det. We all have a dark side, some darker than others and youre not the only one to relate to Dexter, Twitchell wrote in one message. DET. Twitchell stabbed and bludgeoned his victim before cutting him up and partially burning the body. Clark listened while Twitchell told him how he came into possession of a red car a detail he failed to mention when he spoke with police earlier. Maybe Mark Twitchell wanted to kill like Dexter, and maybe he didnt. So, he dragged me back to the garage. A staffer, who asked not to be named, said he knew him briefly: "I knew he was into movies and directed films, but nothing beyond that.". But as soon Tetreault arrived, someone attacked him from behind. Lourdes Aguiar and Anthony Venditti are also producers. A pool of blood that police found in Mark Twitchells garage. Det. Bill Clark: Ultimately Mark Twitchell drove around with it, according to the "SK Confessions" document. Gilles Tetreault: It was dark then I kind of looked around for the door she told me to go through and that's when somebody came out attacked me from behind. WebJohnny believed he would meet the girl of his dreams, but a Star Wars and Dexter-Morgan-obsessed serial killer wannabe and 29-year-old amateur filmmaker named Mark Andrew Twitchell awaited him in the garages darkness. He spoke to them about his career in filmmaking, his wife, Jess, and his 8-month-old daughter, Chloe. This article was published more than 14 years ago. Police began digging deeper into his background. He lunged at his assailant and grabbed his weapon then realized that he was holding a plastic gun. Steve Lillibuen: still is adamant that this was not a planned and deliberate murder and to be frank, he is wrong. A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series. Soon after the divorce, Mark Twitchell returned to Edmonton to spearhead a low-budget $60,000 And when it was done and I watched, I went, "Wow, that guy interviewed well.". Steve Lillebuen who wrote The Devils Cinema read a part of Marks letters that read as: It would appear that Im unique in the world. But I said I couldn't do it. ", Det. And then, in a search of Twitchell's belongings, police found his laptop. Det. There is no key. The next year, Twitchell married an American woman and moved to Illinois. It's really freaky too And as soon as they called me on the phone I got this weird chill. The search of the car also led police to discover a deleted file on Mark Twitchell's laptop called "SK Confessions." I think he is different than Dexter. Over the course of almost three years, they exchanged dozens of letters. Det. Steve Lillibuen: The first time I met him, he actually had me laughing. And if anything happens to me, you'll know where to look.". Det. His trial attracted particular media attention because Twitchell had allegedly been inspired by the fictional character Dexter Morgan. "I wanted the weapon used for the deed itself to be simple, elegant and beautiful.". Please enter valid email address to continue. It has no bearing whatsoever on what actually happened., Twitchell added, There is no root cause no school bully or impressionably gory movies or video game violence or Showtime television series to point the finger at. Store officials confirmed Mark Twitchell worked there as a sales rep from 2002 to 2004 until he was "released." Mark Twitchell, a fringe filmmaker accused in a slaying that matched one of his scripts, spent earlier years feverishly hawking and buying Star Wars toys over the MURDERER Mark Twitchell has become known as the Dexter killer due to his obsession with the TV show. Steve Lillibuen: Mark Twitchell wrote to me quite extensively about his interest in "Dexter.". Probably one of the biggest pieces, a piece of tooth that was found inside there. Bill Clark: And there are some things that were, you know, raisin' your Spidey senses in this one. Mark Twitchell was born in Edmonton, Canada but spent several years Once you find out the whole story I knew at that point it was not just a mugging. Then, the Dexter Killer lured his victims in. Cops say his fascination with the fictional TV killer carried over into his real-life crimes.
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