18 Surrey/North Delta Leader Thursday, May 24, 2012
Pickton interrogator unprepared, inquiry hears ‘Surprised’ that serial killer and companion showed up at Coquitlam RCMP detachment by Jeff Nagel
Const. Ruth Chapman, now retired, confirmed she wasn’t well prepared for an interview with Pickton in January 2000 when Mounties were investigating tips that addicted prostitute Lynn Ellingsen had once seen the Port Coquitlam pig farmer butchering a
FORMER COQUITLAM
RCMP investigators were grilled last week before the Missing Women Inquiry about how their flawed investigation let serial killer Robert Pickton keep killing long after they had him in their sights.
woman in his barn. Chapman testified she did not expect Pickton would come, but he arrived with companion Gina Houston, who derailed attempts to glean useful evidence. “I was surprised that Gina Houston and he showed up at the detachment – I never
expected they would carry out the appointment,” said Chapman, who led the interview when a trained homicide investigator could not be brought in. “I didn’t have a written plan by that point and it didn’t go well.” It turned out to be the only formal interview
with the serial killer the Mounties would get before his arrest in February of 2002 after a search of the farmhouse for illegal weapons turned up effects of missing women. Chapman had also been part of an earlier 1999 interview with Ellingsen, who denied
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Const. Ruth Chapman interviewed Robert Pickton in January 2000.
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telling anyone else she’d grounds to investigate witnessed the butcherPickton in 1999, ranging in the barn. ing from tips that he She failed to review a hosted cockfights to the previous interview tran- illegal bar he and his script with Ellingsen in brother ran that was advance and then the frequented by Hells interview was interAngels. rupted by the arrival of Police also knew that Frank Henley, another in early 1997 Pickton Coquitlam officer who nearly killed a woman also participated even who escaped from though he admitted he his farm, but a charge did not get fully briefed of attempted murder on the case in advance. was later dropped by Henley said he didn’t Crown. think other informants “The Pickton brothers were believable when were involved in a cessthey claimed Ellingsen pool of illegal activity,” saw a body being gutWard charged, adding ted. the fact Pickton had “We had information a stuffed horse’s head that I thought wasn’t mounted in his trailer reliable was “weird because it or bizarre” wasn’t subbehaviour stantiated.” by any Henley human said he standard. believed “I’m not Ellingsen aware of was helping any other Pickton measures pick up could Ruth Chapman we women have taken,” from the responded Downtown former Eastside merely because Insp. Earl Moulton, who he had a reputation as was in charge of major a bad trick, not because crime at the Coquitlam he was killing them. detachment. Ellingsen would later He said his officers be the star witness at did not realize at the Pickton’s trial, helping time they were dealing secure his conviction, with the serial killer but the officers’ failure responsible for the to get her cooperation women disappearing in in 1999 largely sank the Vancouver, even though investigation for two Vancouver Police conand a half years. sidered Pickton their The inquiry also top suspect. heard the RCMP’s brief Moulton said his surveillance of Pickton unit didn’t share their that year ended because updates about the PickCoquitlam Mounties ton investigation with could not afford to con- the VPD because they tinue it and did not seek were never asked. more funding. Pickton was conThe RCMP never victed on six counts of took Pickton up on his second-degree murder offer in the Chapman although he boasted to interview to search the an undercover officer he farm nor did the force killed 49 women. act to get a search warCommissioner Wally rant before 2002. Oppal has until June Cameron Ward, a 30 to hand down his lawyer representing findings on why it took families of missing police so long to crack women, suggested the the case. officers had plenty of jnagel@surreyleader.com
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