Vernon Booher
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Vernon Elwood Booher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1907 |
| Died | April 24, 1929 (aged 21) Fort Saskatchewan Provincial Gaol, Alberta, Canada |
| Criminal status | Executed by hanging |
| Motive | Argument with his mother Eliminating witnesses |
| Conviction | Murder (4 counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Date | July 9, 1928 |
| Country | Canada |
| Location | Mannville, Alberta |
| Killed | 4 |
| Weapons | .303 Lee-Enfield Rifle |
Vernon Elwood Booher (1907 – April 24, 1929) was a Canadian mass murderer who killed four people, including his mother and brother, in Mannville, Alberta, on July 9, 1928. He shot his victims with a rifle. The case drew attention since Booher confessed after a self-proclaimed mind-reader correctly guessed that Booher was killer and where he had hidden the murder weapon.
On appeal, Booher won a retrial and had his confession suppressed, albeit it did not change the outcome of his case. He was found guilty of murder for a second time, sentenced to death, and executed in 1929.
On July 9, 1928, around 7:30pm, Booher fatally shot his mother, Eunice, his brother, Fred, and two farm hands, Gabriel Grombey and Wasyl Rozak, with a .303 British rifle. Vernon had stolen the rifle from a neighbor named C. Stevenson, whose farm was located about a mile from the Booher's.[1]
Eunice was found sitting at the dining room table, shot in the back of the head. She had apparently been preparing for dinner when she was killed, as there was a bowl of fruit on the dining room table, a pie found on the kitchen counter, and a pot full of rice was being prepared on the stove. Fred was found nearby in the kitchen doorway, shot through the mouth and back. He had likely run into the kitchen after hearing his mother being shot.[2] Rozak, a Polish immigrant also known as "Bill", was found at the bunkhouse, shot in the chin. Grombey was the last to be found in the barn, shot through the back of the head.[3] Vernon had intended to frame Grombey for the murder, planning to throw his body and the rifle in a body of water. However, he ran out of time,[4] and was arrested not long after.[5]
Three members of the Booher family were not present at the farmhouse when the murders occurred. Vernon's father, Henry Booher, was away on business at another farm approximately 2 miles (3200 m) from the house that evening. Vernon's younger sisters, Dorthy and Algerto were also not present, as they were attending basketball practice in Manville.[6][7]
When authorities arrived, Booher claimed he had been out in the pasture, attending to cows when he heard the shots. He ran back to the farmhouse to find his mother and brother dead, then ran to a neighbour named Alex Ross to contact the police.[8]
Investigation
The gun used in the murder was found on Sunday, July 19, 1928, about 235 yards (215 m) from the Booher household. Vernon had reportedly disposed of it while running to the Ross farm.[9]