Colin Thatcher

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Wilbert Colin Thatcher (born 25 August 1938 in Toronto) was a Canadian politician famous for his involvement in the murder of his ex-wife, JoAnn Wilson.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Political life

Colin Thatcher was the son of Wilbert Ross Thatcher, premier of Saskatchewan from 1964 to 1971. After his father's death in mysterious circumstances in 1971, Thatcher cultivated his own interest in politics. In 1975 he won the provincial riding of Thunder Creek on the Liberal Party ticket, but defected to the Progressive Conservatives two years later. The move was denounced by the Liberals, and also privately by his wife JoAnn, to whom Thatcher had been married since 1962.

[edit] Marital issues

JoAnn felt disgraced by Thatcher's behaviour and became addicted to cocaine, and their marriage began to disintegrate. Thatcher began a number of extramarital relationships which he made little effort to hide from public scrutiny. When confronted by these indiscretions by JoAnn, Thatcher is reported to have verbally and physically abused her. Thatcher's dalliances did not adversely affect his popularity as a politician, and in 1978 he was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly.

[edit] Divorce

His marriage, however, did not fare so well, and in 1980, after nearly a year of legal battling, the couple divorced. JoAnn was awarded custody of two of their three children, plus $820,000 for her share of the marital property; the amount was one of the highest ever awarded by a Canadian divorce court. Thatcher formally contested the settlement and ignored its custody terms, at one point flying to JoAnn's new home in Brampton to kidnap the children. After JoAnn was shot and injured by an unidentified assailant the following year, she gave up her claim to custody of Regan, the middle child, and settled for about half of her original court award. Many people suspected Thatcher was behind the shooting, though police never charged anyone for the incident.

Again, Thatcher's political life was largely unaffected, and he won his third straight term as MLA at the 1982 election. This term he was appointed to the provincial cabinet as Minister of Energy and Mines. However, following public criticism and disputes with then-premier Grant Devine, he resigned from the post the following year.

[edit] Murder

Four days later, on 21 January 1983, JoAnn was found bludgeoned and shot to death in the garage of her Regina home. Again, rumours abounded that Thatcher was in some way involved, though he was not formally charged until 7 May 1984, after a lengthy police investigation.

[edit] Evidence

Four key pieces of evidence eventually led to Thatcher's arrest:

  • A credit card receipt dated 17 January, with Thatcher's name on it, was found near the murder scene.
  • Neighbours reported seeing a suspicious car around the time of the shooting; a car with a matching description and licence plate was subsequently found on Thatcher's property.
  • The ammunition (.357 Magnum) and the type of gun (Ruger Security Six) thought to be used in the murder match those Thatcher had previously purchased on a trip to Florida.
  • Most damningly, a man named Gary Anderson confessed to police that he had been approached by Thatcher for help in the murder. Police convinced Anderson to wear a wire and visit Thatcher; in the conversation that was recorded Thatcher made several statements which implied he was involved in the crime.

[edit] Conviction

Thatcher was tried in Saskatoon for the murder of his ex-wife in the autumn of 1984. He was found guilty, and was given a sentence of 25 years to life. He appealed the verdict, but the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal rejected the plea in 1986. Subsequent requests to the Supreme Court of Canada and the national Minister of Justice for a review of his case were also denied. A request for an early parole hearing was rejected in 2000, though the jury of a later hearing in 2003 decided that he was eligible to apply. He did so, and on 31 March 2004 the National Parole Board rejected his bid for early release. Throughout his trial and his appeals, Thatcher has steadfastly maintained his innocence, which he admits is probably the reason he was not paroled until late 2006.

[edit] Parole

On December 18, 2006, he made his first public appearance since being paroled two weeks before, when he appeared at the Saskatchewan Legislature for a ceremony honoring former Premiers of the province. Thatcher spoke with the media about the accomplishments of his late father, but refused to discuss the murder of his ex-wife.

In a radio interview on July 27, 2007, Thatcher announced that he is writing a book about his case. The book is entitled Odyssey: Anatomy of a Frame. He has finished eleven chapters to date, and hopes to have it completed by the New Year.

[edit] Biographies

  • Bird, Heather. Not Above The Law: The Tragic Story of JoAnn Wilson and Colin Thatcher. Toronto: Key Porter Books Limited, 1985.
  • Mankiewicz, Francis, director. Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher. (Television movie.) Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 1989.
  • Siggins, Maggie. A Canadian Tragedy, JoAnn & Colin Thatcher: A Story of Love and Hate. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2001.
  • Thatcher, Colin. Backrooms: A Story of Politics. Douglas & McIntyre, 1985.
  • Wilson, Garrett & Lesley Wilson. Deny, Deny, Deny: The Rise and Fall of Colin Thatcher. Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, 1986.

[edit] External links

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Preceded by
Robert Scott Donaldson		 MLA Thunder Creek
1975-1984		 Succeeded by
Richard Swenson