These were my actual responses to the questions from the Stanstead Journal
Q1: How were you able to get the case reopened?
A: First, the police's standard line is always, "a case is never closed, when new information arrives we look into it (you'll hear that one if you call the SQ). True, the case file always exists, but they collect dust and get forgotten.
To your question; In 2002 I went to Sherbrooke and asked to see the file. The SQ showed me some of the file. When I asked why an officer wasn't assigned to the case I was told by then Corporal Robert Theoret that he had too many other priorities and that Theresa's death would never be solved. Shortly after that the 3 stories in the National Post were published (August 2002). This put pressure on the SQ and they agreed to look at my sister's file along with the files of Manon Dube and Louise Camirand to see if they should proceed with further investigations. In late September 2002 the Sherbrooke SQ publically annouced that there was no reason to further investigate the matter. I then filed a complaint with the Police Ethics board. About two weeks after that I received a call from the SQ headquarters in Montreal. They informed me that all three files had been pulled from the jurisdiction of Sherbrooke (because of incompetence on the part of the Sherbrooke SQ (their words)). They told me an investigator from Montreal had been assigned to the case and invited me to Montreal to meet him and to view the full contents of my sister's file, which I did. So that's
how it happened.
Q2: Why reopen it?
A: Because it had never been looked at from the point of view of a murder. You have to remember that up until 2002 when I began asking questions, everyone - the police, Champlain College, the Townships Community, even my own family - were resigned / content to leave this as a drug overdose death (blame the victim, it was her fault). It is important now to reframe the entire argument because of the discovery that it was murder, and because there were two other murders in the area within a 17 month period that also remain unsolved to this day. This raises serious questions both then and now about the moral fiber of the community and the ethical conduct of both the police and college.
Q3: How old were you in 1978?
A: In 1978 I was 14
Q4: Do you feel the police did an adequate investigation in 1978?
The investigator who headed up my sister's case was Inspector Roch Gauldreault. He was also the lead investigator on both the Camirand and Dube cases. All three cases remain unsolved. There is strong evidence that these were linked sex crimes, yet Mr. Gauldreault went on record to the CBC in 2002 saying he still thought Theresa died of a drug overdose. Do I think the investigation was adequate? No I think the
police were grossly incompetent and negligent in their duties as officers sworn to protect the public.
Q5: What were the links between the 3 young women, Theresa, M. Dube, and L. Camirand? eg dates and geographic areas:
A: That is a very involved explanation, and I've been thru it too many times. There is lots of detail about that out in the internet, your best bet would be to read the Post articles on the www.whokilledtheresa.com website. Also, see attached map.
Q6: Where were your parents living at the time?
A: My parents and I were living in Saint John, New Brunswick
Q7: Have you other siblings?
A: I have an older brother, Andre. He was 18 when Theresa died. He was also attending Champlain College. They both lived at the residence in Compton.
Q8: How did it affect your family? (I'm sure it had effects that I cannot even imagine. Please feel free to comment as much or as little on this very personal question.)
A: The worst thing is the repeated trauma that could have been prevented if authorities had done their job. You know, victimization does not come with the discovery of the death of a loved one. That horrible revalation is easy to bare with compared to everything that comes AFTER that. Theresa was murdered repeatedly, and we all suffered along each time. There was the discovery of her body in 1979. Then there was the slow systematic process by which the police deflected all responsibility onto her and blamed her for her death ("she had it coming"). Slowly you begin to believe this stuff. So that's two traumas. So next you have the discovery that the police screwed up (2002), that's a third trauma. Then there's that protracted time in the fall of 2002 when the police were busy deciding whether they should investigate, but finally came to the conclusion that they didn't see any basis for doing so; fourth trauma. Fifth trauma (but some vindication); Montreal police agree that Sherbrooke police screwed up.
Currently I'm into my sixth trauma in that through bureaucratic indifference the current investigators have AGAIN gone lax, so now we have this business of me and Sue Sutherland going to the Magog woods on June 17th to do the job the police are unwilling to do.
That's how it effects the family. Because she doesn't deserve to be treated with such indifference. No victim does; and if they can do it to her consistently for over 27 years, they can do it to anyone: this has more to do with the quality of police services the public should be willing to except today, now... then it does with anything having to do with Theresa Allore.
posted by John Allore @ 5/20/2006 12:12:00 AM
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