Gary Altinger: I just thought right away after I had read this, that's gotta be the weirdest message I've ever received. Det. April 12, 2022 7:40am. Who is Mark Twitchell and why is he called the Dexter killer? Star Wars tribute film titled Bill Clark: We know that he lured him to the garage in the same way he lured Gilles Tetreault. But police had found a helpful clue during the search of Twitchell's home. A lot of people saw him as a loner. Steve Lillibuen: He was newly married and a new father. And we have nothing. Det. So, he dragged me back to the garage. And her suspicions kept growing with another email he sent. Mark is often referred to as the Dexter Killer because of his fond love and personal identification with the lead character, Dexter Morgan. Tetreault's story matched nearly word for word what was in "SK Confessions. That identical strange message had gone out to all of Johnny's friends as well. Gilles Tetreault: And then he starts punching me on the side of the head. The recently aired CBS episode delves into this aspiring serial killers psyche. Gilles Tetreault: I really thought it was a mugging at the time. The police, not believing this story, impounded Twitchell's laptop and car, and found Altinger's blood in the car's trunk. The message that Gilles Tetreault received from Sheena, who was really Mark Twitchell. He was now obsessed with the TV show Dexter. Steve Lillibuen: Mark Twitchell wrote to me quite extensively about his interest in "Dexter.". The names and events were altered slightly to protect the guilty. Det. What other line is there to cross? Mark Twitchell Joss Hnatiuk met Mark Twitchell on a Star Wars fan message board. Julia Cowley: I think he identified with Dexter to some degree. The Sun additionally reported that passages in SK Confessions lined up almost perfectly with Gilles Tetreaults police interview, as Tetreault had come forward with his own experience after reading about Twitchells arrest. In April 2011, Twitchell was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. Gilles Tetreault: I still think about the painted-up hockey mask. Police cameras were rolling as a forensics team processed Twitchell's family car and the garage he rented. Mark Twitchell And that's when I slipped out of the jacket, rolled underneath the garage door and then got up. Steve Lillibuen [reading letter]: He writes, "I killed Johnny Altinger in a horrific accident of self-defense. Mark Twitchell was born in Edmonton, Canada but spent several years Police soon discovered that the Twitchell marriage was already fractured. These are the words of Mark Twitchell, written to investigative journalist and author Steve Lillibuen: Steve Lillibuen [reading letters]: "It would appear that I'm unique in the world. Wow, yeah, this is this is the guy. Mark Twitchell, a fringe filmmaker accused in a slaying that matched one of his scripts, spent earlier years feverishly hawking and buying Star Wars toys over the Mark Twitchell worked with a tight-knit group of guys on various film projects. He had a table set up for his victims. Bill Clark: It just doesn't make sense. But what was real and what was fiction? I still think about the stun gun. Steve Lillibuen: Mark Twitchell testified that this was all a big misunderstanding he had killed Johnny in self-defense . Gilles Tetreault: And I tried to run and all of a sudden my legs wouldn't work I just fell, boom right on the gravel driveway. He wouldn't do this to us. There is no key. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? Det. Bill Clark: One of the first lines it says "I'm not sure when I decided to become a serial killer, but it was a feeling of pure euphoria. It's like I remember getting the phone call at the police station just thinking "holy crap.". Det. ", "SK Confessions" told the story of a man who was lured to a garage and stabbed to death a plot strikingly similar to "House of Cards. Mark Twitchell Star Wars: Secrets of the Rebellion Huh But just one week later, another man, Johnny Altinger, would answer a similar dating ad and disappear. One passage about a knife read: "I thrust it into his gut. And then, not showing up for work? Sheena had refused to tell Tetreault her exact address, giving him only driving instructions. So, investigators called Twitchell again. Weeks, then months, passed and still no luck. His interest in the show was raised numerous times during his trial. What's going on? Little did they know the case was about to take an unusual turn. He was sentenced to 25 years to life. Mr. Twitchell, 29, was arrested on Halloween and charged with the first-degree murder of Johnny Altinger, a 38-year-old pipeline-industry worker originally from White Rock, B.C. He is lucid. Det. Gilles Tetreault: And he tore a piece of tape and he covered my eyes with it. When they found Altingers blood in Twitchells car, they arrested him on Oct. 31, 2008. Bill Clark: His red Mazda was missing. Gary Altinger: Not a message, nothing. JuliaCowley: I think the primary motivation was sexual. Who is Mark Twitchell and why is he called the Dexter killer? In March of 2011, Mark Twitchell went on trial for the murder of Johnny Altinger. Twitchell's film has never been released. Bill Clark: It was basically almost like a movie script. It is what it is and I am what I am., Lillebuen, however, has his doubts. He said he intended to let both men go so they would create a buzz for his film by telling people that this had actually happened to them. Twitchell was impounded by the police when they found Altingers blood in his cars trunk. Mark-Twitchell OFFICER [to Twitchell outside garage]: Bring back any memories? Their only lead was Mark Twitchell's film set garage. In 2011, Twitchells attempt to murder charge got a courts stay in the Court of Queens Bench of Alberta. He had taken his vehicle; it couldn't be found. Lillebuen wrote a book about the case titled "The Devil's Cinema: The Untold Story Behind Mark Twitchell's Kill Room.". You put her in trash bags, like Dexter." I said- I told myself I'll do it tomorrow. For other inquiries, Contact Us. MARK ANSTEY [to reporters]: We have not found John Altinger's body. So, I'm like, "Oh no, what am I gonna do now. I'm like "Wow, why was my punch so weak? Twitchell wrote numerous letters to the journalist, with Lillibuen telling CBS Newsthat he found themurderer of Johnny Altingerto be very responsive to letter writing. Bill Clark: He looked pretty comfortable in the interview. Tetreault, who was 33 at the time, was excited to meet the woman who called herself "Sheena.". Det. Renee: He said, "You cut her up in little pieces. And I'm like, "Wow, I I have to go forward now. They found Mark Twitchell guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years in prison. I was just really bewildered. So anytime I'd seen one I'd always have my flashlight with me and would get out and actually take a look. Residents saw him flee the building, chased by a man wearing a hockey mask that was decorated in slashes of black and gold. What led to this happening? small following among sci-fi fans when he directed Star Wars: Secrets He even talked about driving around with him and pulling up beside people at red lights and looking at them thinking that "they don't know I have a dead body in the trunk of my car.". A staffer, who asked not to be named, said he knew him briefly: "I knew he was into movies and directed films, but nothing beyond that.". filmmaking. At the time, Renee was upset with her ex-husband's new wife. Cops say his fascination with the fictional TV killer carried over into his real-life crimes. After this, the actor who played Dexter stated he did not think Dexter glamorized a serial killer. Bill Clark: In any homicide investigation you obviously want to bring closure to the family So not only do you want to make that phone call saying, "We got the guy that did this to your loved one," but in this case, we wanted to say to 'em, look, "we found Johnny.". No root cause there is no school bully or impressionably gory movies or Showtime television series to point the finger at. Johnny Altinger's blood was found in the trunk of Mark Twitchell's family car a discovery which led to the filmmaker's arrest on Halloween day in 2008. That's changed slightly I now know that you killed John Altinger. It read "I went through great lengths to bring my wife over to the comfortable belief I wasn't cheating on her.". She was basically livin' on the main floor, he was livin' in the basement. BILL CLARK [to Twitchell in police car]: So, in order to finish the movie, we have to find the body, take it back to the people, the family done. His friends, having broken into his condo and finding no evidence he had packed for a vacation, alerted the police. We all have a dark side, some darker than others and youre not the only one to relate to Dexter, Twitchell wrote in one message. But it was only a hunch. Det. He graduated from a radio and television program at the For the first time on television, Lillibuen is revealing the contents of Twitchell's letters. Chris Heward: "How much of the blood splatter on the wall was from your filming?" I have to come forward.". Jimmy Siokos tells "48 Hours Mystery" about what it was like to work with Mark Twitchell on a "Star Wars" fan film. Lourdes Aguiar and Anthony Venditti are also producers. Gilles Tetreault was at home oblivious to the horror he had escaped when a friend told him to watch the news. Tonights Dateline entitled, Deadly House Of Cards, is a repeat show that was aired in 2014. Dexter, which they say Mr. Twitchell idolized on his Facebook page. While Twitchell was not initially a suspect, he told cops an unlikely story that Altinger sold his Mazda 6 to him for 40 Canadian dollars. Investigators followed it to an alleyway just a half block away from where they had stopped the search. Altinger, thinking he was meeting a woman, was lured to Twitchells kill room in his garage-turned-film-studio. Bill Clark: We do believe, as investigators, that the account written by Mark Twitchell in that "SK Confessions" is exactly what he did to John Altinger. Though Twitchell claimed that the death of Johnny Altinger in October 2008 was self-defense and that hed only been trying to film a movie a movie about luring men to a garage and killing them police found a script hed tried to delete describing the murder scene in precise, chilling detail. Mark Twitchell was nothing like author Steve Lillibuen expected. Something goin' on here.". Det. Following the narrative, police believe Altinger was then stabbed and dismembered on a makeshift autopsy table. Bill Clark: It was just a huge piece of evidence 'cause not only would it verify what was written in "SK Confessions" it would also have a living witness so it was paramount that we find this person. Gary Altinger: When I received that email And this e-mail was completely out of character. Gilles Tetreault: I stuck the key in the ignition and then I just sped away. Bio: House of Cards crew While Twitchell was not initially a suspect, he told cops an unlikely story that Altinger sold his Mazda 6 to him for 40 Canadian dollars. Armed with the directions, police were led directly to that garage. Detective Bill Clark knew his next move was finding the alleged victim who had escaped from Mark Twitchell's garage. He also talked about some Star Wars fan fiction films hed made in the past, and how he was now funding his films through investors. This story is based on true events, Mark Twitchell wrote. According to CBC, a woman who met Twitchell through the Dexter Morgan Facebook page testified that they shared their love for the TV show through online messages. He sort of describes it in seductive language. Mark, on the other, hand used media for his appeal. Extra: Jimmy Siokos on Mark Twitchell - CBS News In the document, the killer wrote about his kill room, explaining that it included "several rolls of painters plastic sheeting" and a 45-gallon steel drum "for the body parts" as well as a "game processing kit" containing multiple different knives and a serrated saw "for the bones". ", "SK Confessions." And hypothetically, how would you get away with it? Gilles Tetreault: She said "I'll just leave the garage door open for you. Twitchell's response to Hall's comments was to downplay his fascination with the "Dexter" character. Det. Det. Bio - Mark Andrew Twitchell | Edmonton Journal Steve Lillibuen, a college professor and an investigative journalist, was covering the trial for the Edmonton Journal and went on to write a book, "The Devil's Cinema," about the case. Along the way, Twitchell also seemed to develop an obsession with murder and death. So, police kept searching on their own, looking in sewer after sewer. Twitchell had attempted to lure another victim to his kill room earlier that month. They wouldn't elaborate. It was actually he was probably going to kill me. He worked as a Canadian filmmaker and was convicted of first-degree murder in April 2011. A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Kaleena Fraga has also had her work featured in The Washington Post and Gastro Obscura, and she published a book on the Seattle food scene for the Eat Like A Local series.
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