The Murder of Christine Prince

Please welcome guest blogger M.L. Poncelet. After hearing about the 1982 Christine Prince case, she agreed to guest blog about it. Asked how she would describe herself: “I’m a cosy mystery writer living on the west coast of Canada in an area that is full of characters and inspiration for my stories.  I also enjoy being an “armchair detective” and reading historical non-fiction.”
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Christine Prince arrived from Wales to work for the Kruzick family as a live-in nanny at their home in Toronto, Ontario.

Timeline:

On June 20, 1982, Christine Prince and her friend, Gloria Betts, went to a movie at Yonge and Bloor, in the heart of Toronto.

Around 11:30pm, they met up with Christine’s boyfriend, David Curtis-Smith who had just finished his shift at the Four Seasons Hotel where he worked as a chef. The trio went to a donut shop where they talked until about 1:15 am.

Monday, June 21, 1982:

1:30 am. Christine’s boyfriend boarded a train going east and the women took the subway to St. Clair Avenue West. At the station Christine and Gloria boarded a westbound streetcar. At Bathurst Street, Gloria exited the streetcar with Christine only having two stops to make at Wychwood Avenue. She would have a short walk to make it to her employer’s home in the rain.

6:00am.  A woman walking on Pinewood Avenue near Humewood Park on her way to work the next morning, found an umbrella in good condition lying on the sidewalk near 18 Pinewood Avenue. The woman hung it on the doorknob of a shop at St. Clair Ave. and Christie Street.  Later, upon hearing about the murder and the distinctive umbrella Christine had been carrying, she contacted police.  The Kruzick residence was a short distance away at 66 Pinewood Avenue.

7:30 a.m. After phoning Gloria and David, the Kruzicks phoned the police to report Christine Prince as missing.

9:00 am. A highway maintenance worker was cutting grass along Hwy. 401 near Meadowvale Rd when he spotted a wallet. He phoned the number inside and reached the Kruzick family, her employer.  The police followed up on this information.

Tuesday, June 22, 1982.

Several people walking to work along Sewells Rd., about 800 metres north of Finch Ave. E. where Sewells meets the Rouge River, spotted a nude body lying face down in three feet of water and called police. The body was later identified as Christine Prince by her employer, Mr. Kruzick.   Two items she always wore were missing: a distinctive gold ring with two hearts joined together and a gold coloured watch.

Scouring the isolated area, police found the murder scene about 200 metres upstream from where the body was found, off a small track in the bush that was known as Lovers’ Lane, a secluded lane parallel to Rouge River which was hidden from Sewell’s Road.

Along this lane, police discovered rope which they believe was used to tie her wrists as well as her clothing and her purse which contained everything except her wallet and a Kodak instant camera.

It was later established that Christine had been raped and brutally beaten there, but that she had died of drowning, either at the hands of her assailant or as a consequence of her incapacitating injuries.

Christine Prince was the first victim of five who suffered similar fates. Christine Prince, Delia Adriano, Valerie Stevens, Lynda Shaw and Cindy Halliday – were stalked, kidnapped and driven to remote areas where they were murdered between early spring and late summer, between 1982 and 1992.

• The bodies of five of the victims were discovered in lovers’ lanes – wooded, remote areas down back roads often frequented by teenagers. No effort was made to hide the bodies.
• At least three of the slayings show a fetish for neatness: jackets folded neatly and shoes placed side by side at the murder scenes.
• Most of the victims were transported many kilometres from where they were abducted.
• Expressways figure in five of the slayings, either for stalking and transporting the victims, or as a place to later dump the victims’ belongings.
• The killer kept personal effects from some of the victims such as items of clothing, a shoe and jewellery.

According to the papers, the boyfriend and the employer have been cleared as suspects. Police believe that a serial killer was/is at work here. A name that has been mentioned is Russell Williams. You can read more about him in that article.

Rest in peace, Christine Prince.