One of my first professional jobs

I worked for CTV drawing courtroom sketches

Allan Legere, one of Canada’s most infamous killers, dies in federal custody

Allan Legere, known as the “Monster of the Miramichi,” has died at 78 while serving a life sentence at the Edmonton Institution. Already imprisoned for the 1986 murder of shopkeeper John Glendenning, Legere escaped custody in May 1989 while being escorted to the Dr. Georges‑L. Dumont University Hospital Centre. During 201 days as a fugitive he terrorized communities along the Miramichi River, murdering four people-Annie Flam, sisters Donna Daughney and Linda Daughney, and priest James Smith-before being captured nine days after the final killing. He was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder in 1991 and declared a dangerous offender, ensuring he would remain in prison for life.

One of my first professional jobs was drawing courtroom sketches of the Allan Legere trial for CTV. I worked with reporter Paula Newton- who now works for CNN as their main commentator on Canada. We sat just behind him. I was in reaching distance from him. He was in shackles.

The Moncton court handled some of the pre-trial and procedural matters, the main trial was in Fredericton. It’s interesting to note that this was the first murder trial in Canada where DNA evidence was used to convict someone.

When he was on the loose in 1989, all of New Brunswick was on edge. It lasted for the 201 days he was on the loose.

Helicopters were flying around all the time. At the time, I was working at Hub Meat Packers. One night I was riding my bike at night and a helicopter put its spotlight on me from the old causeway, the Salisbury Rd to Edinburgh Dr.

Little did I know at the time I’d be sitting two feet behind him for the duration of his trial.

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When he first escaped, I just started drawing the odd cartoon for the Times Transcript. Maybe 3-4 per month. I think they paid me $30 per drawing. This was only my second professional cartoon to be published outside of university. Federal prison authority were covering up how he escaped for a period.