In the early hours of May 2, 1945, 23-year-old Olga Hawryluk was found beaten to death and dumped in the waters of English Bay. A soldier was charged with her murder and defended by scrappy East End lawyer Angelo Branca. Blood, Sweat, and Fear’s Inspector Vance handled the forensics.
This episode includes an interview with former prosecutor and criminal defence lawyer Robert Debou who kindly agreed to come on the show and talk about the trial strategy, and why it wouldn’t work today.
Province photo of Olga Hawryluk, May 1945The stories for this first series are from my book Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance (Eve Lazarus, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2017). Vance was one of the first forensic scientists in North America, and during his 42-year-career, helped to solve some of the most sensational murders of the 20th Century. Each episode focuses on one of those cases.
Image: Jack Shadbolt painting of Granville Street, Vancouver ca.1945
Credits:
- Intro and outro music: Duke Ellington’s St. Louie Toodle
- Expert interview: Robert Debou
- Intro by Mark Dunn
- Words of Hazel Robertson voiced by Megan Dunn
- Words of William Hainen voiced by Matthew Dunn\
- Background track created by Nico Vettese www.wetalkofdreams.com
- V-Day Celebrations from coast to coast: CBC Archives
Sources:
- Blood, Sweat, and Fear: The Story of Inspector Vance, Vancouver’s First Forensic Investigator, by Eve Lazarus (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2017)
- Vital Statistics
- Coroner’s Inquest for Olga Hawryluk, courtesy BC Archives
- The personal files of Inspector John F.C.B. Vance
- Newspapers: Daily Province, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver News Herald
12 comments on “Episode 08: The English Bay Murder”
We really enjoyed this rather gruesome story Eve.
Thank you,
Richard.
Hi Eve,
We really enjoyed again another rather gruesome story Eve.
Thank you,
Richard.
Another really great show Eve! Loved how you mixed up the family in the various parts. Great editing, and what a favonagong tale.
Fantastic. Not Favanogog or whatever that was.
Thanks so much John! And, I’m quite partial to Favonagong – I think I’ll use it in a sentence this week.
I wonder if Hugh Redpath was related to the wealthy Montreal Redpath family who had their own murder mystery in 1901. In that case two of the family members were shot. It may have been a murder / suicide or a double murder. The coroner attended, but the police were never called, and it appears the whole thing was pretty much kept under wraps. It remains unsolved to this day.
Well that’s interesting, I’ve not heard of the Redpath family of Montreal. Thanks for the information!
The Redpath’s were sugar barons and early industrialists in Montreal; McGill University’s Redpath Museum and Library are named after Peter Redpath whose father John Redpath immigrated from Scotland in 1816.
Thanks so much for the added information!
Hi I’d would like to read this, is there a transcript of those? I’m hard of hearing & understanding it is difficult.
Thank you
The podcast is based on a chapter in my book Blood, Sweat, and Fear. You can order it through my publisher https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/B/Blood-Sweat-and-Fear, the usual online channels but please consider ordering through an indie bookstore or you can also find it in most libraries. Eve
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