Transcript of Calgary Police Service Media Availability re O'Brien/Liknes Case
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...-of-nathan-o-brien-and-grandparents-1.2706455
http://globalnews.ca/news/1449500/person-of-interest-in-missing-family-case-re-arrested/
This is a rough draft and all errors are my own.
This is not an official transcript, nor is it connected to any of the participants.
Police Chief Rick Hanson = RH
RH: I want to start this media availability by once again our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Jennifer and Rod O'Brien, and all members of the Liknes family. I cannot imagine how difficult and painful the last two weeks have been.
It's been two weeks to the day since the disappearance of Nathan O'Brien and Kathryn and Alvin Liknes. We have arrested a man in relation to what has been an extremely challenging and heart-wrenching investigation.
At approximately 1:30 a.m. today, officers arrested a man in the Airdrie area. He's currently in custody and charges of two counts of first degree murder and one count of second degree murder are pending. Until he has seen a justice of the peace, I am prohibited from releasing his identity.
The Amber Alert in relation to this file has been discontinued, however, the bodies of the three victims have not been found, and we continue to ask people to come forward with any information they may have. Most importantly, we ask rural property and business owners to please search their properties for anything suspicious.
We know that this community has been anxious for answers to an investigation that has gripped the city for the last two weeks. There are still many questions left to be answered, however, due to charges before the courts, I can't release those details, and the investigation continues.
We wish to thank the public and the media for their assistance. We have had more than nine hundred tips come in. This level of public support and engagement has never been seen before in previous investigations of this magnitude. I'd also like to acknowledge and thank the more than two hundred officers, analysts, and investigators who have worked this file nonstop for the past two weeks. This has included uniform members, specialty investigative units, and our search partners with Calgary Search and Rescue, and the R.C.M.P.
As this matter will now be before the courts, I'm limited in what I can say, but I will answer any questions that I can.
Reporter: Why did this investigation take so long?
RH: An investigation, as you will recall, this investigation started with very little information. You remember one of the first press conferences we had, it was referred to as a mystery. This investigation, led by Staff Sgt. [Doug] Andrus and Doug Anderson's teams of officers over in Major Crimes [Section] has been a painstaking investigation. It has been pursuing 900 tips plus investigative leads that have been forthcoming.
Our Forensic Crime Scenes Unit has been absolutely meticulous in going over the scene and any piece of evidence we have. This file has been built piece by piece by piece by piece. If somebody out there is thinking that there's one piece that's the smoking gun, one piece of information that has led to a break in the case, I'm here to tell you that has been a compilation of an immense investigation. And, during the course of this investigation, every day the investigators have met and discussed the information--the new information, the new leads, the new evidence--and assessed that information relative to this file.
And I don't want anybody to lose sight of the fact that there were three people that were missing on Day One. We have to assume that there's--whatever that is, whatever the small likelihood is, that someone, somewhere was keeping one of those three people alive. So we will always err to the side of caution, so we meticulously, the officers involved put this file together until yesterday afternoon, in a meeting with the Crown Prosecutor who was assigned to the case, and in reviewing all the evidence in its entirety, the decision was reached that this is now a homicide investigation, and that charges would be appropriate against the accused individual that will be named later.
Reporter: How do you know they're dead, sir?
RH: The preponderance of evidence is such that it has led our investigators to believe that they are dead. Hence, two counts of first degree murder, and one count of second degree murder.
Reporter: Can you set--can you extend the time line from the last media availability because then there was confidence that they were still believed to be alive. Can you talk about when the evidence came in where it turned out to be a murder investigation?
RH: What I can tell you is that every day evidence was coming in as our officers conducted their investigation, and every day it was assessed. And, until we had evidence that absolutely convinced all of us that the family was dead, that we were proceeding with the belief that if there was even a small likelihood that we would find somebody alive, we were gonna move our investigation based on that. As I'm sure anybody would if it was your family.
Yesterday, when they had their regular meeting to review the evidence, and assess that evidence, in consultation with the Crown, it was determined that it was clear at that point that this was no longer a missing persons investigation, this was a homicide investigation.
Reporter Scrum
Reporter: Where are you focusing your search efforts? Are you still searching the rural property in Airdrie? Are you still searching landfills?
RH: As you may have noted in my prepared statement, we are asking for the assistance of anybody who is on an acreage, anybody who's a business person, oil companies that have access to land to continue to be vigilant in looking for anything that's unusual. So, if somebody expects our search to be limited to one particular small area, we are not gonna limit ourselves to that. We are going to tell people out there be alert, be vigilant, if you see something you know wasn't right on your property, that it's different or that it could be suspicious, give us a call.
Reporter How confident are you that the evidence gathered in this case is very strong?
RH: Very confident.
Reporter: What is it that makes you feel confident?
RH: There is no single piece of evidence that will be what people would like to think is a smoking gun. Investigations of this magnitude are literally dozens and dozens, over two hundred people, each involved, officers each involved in doing a particular part of the investigation and meticulously pulling pieces of information together that supports a charge in this case. So, if you're looking for one piece of information, let me tell you that when the evidence comes forward you will see the meticulousness, the thoroughness of this investigation. And, I'm not going to jeopardize the file by rolling out individual pieces of evidence. Suffice to say that this, the officers in this case, the investigators, the support services, the different investigative teams, our covert assets, everybody, every officer, every person, every analyst involved in this investigation contributed in some small way to pulling these pieces of information together. They finally, as of yesterday, removed all doubt that it was a missing persons file and supported our now firmly held belief that it's a homicide, and led to the charges of first degree murder in two cases and second degree murder for a third charge.
Reporter: Was this based on evidence that was picked up Airdrie? You haven't quite said exactly what you…
RH: Well, what I have said is that I'm prohibited from saying who's been charged until the charges have been laid, and we expect those charges to be laid later on this afternoon. Once those charges have been laid, then we can identify the individual.
Reporter: Can you tell us if he's being co-operative?
RH: I can't say.
Reporter: Do police believe that these victims die right after they disappeared, or was there a lengthy period of time before they actually died?
RH: We are, we are putting a very complex case before the courts, a very complex case before the courts. We are not going to get into pieces and parts of information that could at some point in time jeopardize this prosecution down the road. You know, when the police do an investigation and charges are laid, that's only the beginning.
We have to be cognizant of the fact that the prosecution requires us to maintain carriage of that evidence until it's put before the courts. So, today, I know there's lots of questions that people have, lots of questions that you have, lots of questions that the people in the community have. The reality is, we cannot release, we cannot go through those parts of evidence, those pieces of evidence that have led to the charge. Suffice to say that we and the Crown are satisfied that the preponderance of evidence we've collected in its entirety supports the charges that will be laid later today.
Reporter: Are you looking at laying charges against anybody else?
RH: At this point in time, we're charging one person later on this afternoon.
Reporter: Are there any other charges charges possibly pending against him other than these three?
RH: I can tell you this. Any time there's a homicide of this magnitude, we would be remiss if we didn't look at every file that we have outstanding. At this point in time there are only those charges that relate to this file.
Reporter: Chief, what can you say about the circumstances of the arrest? Was this a product of investigators coming up with the evidence and deciding it was time to move, or was there a particular incident that sparked his apprehension. There were reports that he'd been removed from a premises, and so I was just wondering if you could add any clarity to that.
RH: The only clarity I can add is that the evidence that was collected allowed our officers to know, to form the belief, in consultation with the Crown, that the evidence was sufficient to arrest. And circumstances early this morning presented that opportunity to make the arrest, and that arrest was done at approximately 1:30 this morning.
Reporter: Do you have a better understanding of the motive? Or what you think may have motivated these murders?
RH: Motive? Anything to do with motive will be part of the evidence that's presented at trial.
Reporter: Are you looking for any other suspects?
RH: No.
Reporter: Can you elaborate on items or perhaps the blood samples that were taken from the Liknes home? I know you were waiting on test results, official results. Can you comment on the results if you have them?
RH: No, I can't.
Reporter: Why two counts of first degree and one count of third degree?
RH: OK. What I can explain to you is this. I'll explain generally why first degree murder charges are laid.
First degree murder charges are generally laid when you can show pre-intent.
Reporter: Pre-intent?
RH: Somebody formed the intent. And in second degree murder charges, that pre-intent, the intent to commit the act, may not be there in sufficient grounds to justify a first degree murder charge.
Reporter: Can you say who the charges relate to, in terms of are the first degree charges in relation to the grandparents and the second degree charges to child? Can you explain how that...
RH: The first degree murder charges will be laid on the Likneses. The second degree on the child.
Reporter: You've given condolences to the family. Do you have anything to say to them now? I mean, this is partially solved in their minds about, you know-- What can you say to them about finishing this off? It remains unclosed to them, I know.
RH: Sure it will be. Absolutely it will be. And our efforts will continue to be on the investigation. After charges are laid, it doesn't necessarily mean the investigation stops. There are other pieces of this file that have to be followed up, and our efforts to locate the bodies of the three deceased is obviously a big part of what we're hoping to do at some point in time be able to address.
Reporter: Are you still gonna hold the landfills that you are searching, or are you gonna just focus on Airdrie and asking people to look and check their property?
RH: Right now the investigators are still making investigative decisions on what they see as the best needs of the investigation, so they will make those calls as they see fit.
Reporter: How's the family doing?
RH: You know, it's extremely tragic. It's devastated them. We've kept them apprised the whole time. I think it's safe to say that even as the days went by there's always a hope, there's always a glimmer of hope. And, unfortunately, with the laying of the charges, we've taken that hope away from the family. So they are devastated.
Reporter: Chief, are you optimistic that you will find the bodies in this case?
RH: I'll always remain optimistic that we will be relentless in pursuing every lead. If we continue to get help from the community, if we continue to have folks that are alert to any changes or anything unusual that they see on their property, we remain optimistic that we may be able to put closure to that part of this file.
Reporter: Sorry, but when will the person who was arrested first appear in court?
RH: I can't say for sure, but the charges will be laid today so I don't know. I suspect it will be tomorrow, but I can't say 100% for sure.
Reporter: In light of any evidence that you have, is there any indication that the suspect would help you these bodies and help give the family some closure?
RH:: I can't speculate on, on what a suspect or an accused person may do or not do.
Reporter: Would that be what you would ultimately want?
RH: Ultimately what we want, is we want is to be able to find the bodies so that the family can have the final closure on this.
CPS PR: OK. Are there any other questions?
Reporter 1: Was he arrested at a motel?
Reporter 2: Have you spoken to Douglas Garland already? Can you give us any indication as his level, not just of co-operation but the idea that he may at some point tell you what happened to those bodies at ..
RH: You know, at this point in time we can't even confirm the identity of the person that was arrested. And, sorry, your question?
Reporter: Was he arrested at a hotel in Airdrie?
RH: It wasn't at a hotel in Airdrie. It was on property that was close to the, in the vicinity of the acreage.
CPS PR Officer: Any other questions?
RH: Are there any other questions from anybody? Thanks very much.
