A SEARCH FOR JUSTICE IN REVELSTOKE

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you in light of recent investigations into the ineptness that has been uncovered

and continues to be uncovered within the legal and justice systems.

Contained herein, is a true story of a man who moved home to look after his ailing mother, the

madness that ensued shortly after and, six years later, continues to this very day. It is a story

of cover-ups and lies. Two brothers who were thick as thieves, torn apart by deceit,

manipulation and abusive relationships. A story of an alleged suicide even though evidence

begs you to question otherwise.

A man who asks questions of the police but is met with deaf ears and heads that turn in

silence. Instead of answers he receives threats, loses his job due to a forged letter, sees his

marriage break down under the stress and a bogus charge that keeps him under arrest for a

year. Now he fights to retain the house his mother and father worked their entire lives for.

His executorship torn away by an unfair system and his wails of wanting to be heard snuffed

out like a candle.

The file that you find attached to this letter explains more in depth of the injustices that have

befallen upon this man. A man who never stopped fighting in his quest for answers

concerning his brother’s death. A man who has not been justly represented due to a lack of

money.

This is a story that could happen to any of us. Through it all it has become abundantly clear

that if you have no money you have no justice.

Thank you,

Velvet Williamson,

Ontario.

AND JOHN MORRISON WRITES . . . My brother, Dr. Roger Morrison, was found dead in questionable circumstances on November 9, 2012. I have also been embroiled in a dispute over my mother’s Will that resulted in me facing eviction from the family home on April 25 next. As this sad saga emerged I communicated with my cousin, Bill O’Neill, in Texas. He is now my closest living relative on the North American continent and has had a lifetime career in the international media. He compiled the following summary, out of interest, so he could better understand the chain of events. He drew on court documents, sworn affidavits and some personal interviews. It is in three parts. I hope it gives you a measured insight into what is a very complex story that has all but destroyed my family. Thank you. JOHN MORRISON.

Compiled from court papers, sworn affidavits and interviews by BILL O’NEILL (John and Roger Morrison’s 1st cousin).

Former executive vice president/general manager of The New York Post; Chief Executive Officer, News International, London, in charge of The Times (of London), The Sun, The Sunday Times, News of the World, Today.

Former Executive Vice President, News America, with responsibilities at The Chicago Sun-Times, Boston Herald, San Antonio Express-News.

Former director of News Corporation (Fox News, Fox TV stations, 20th Century Fox. The Wall Street Journal.

Refer: Wikipedia – Bill O’Neill (media)

A SEARCH FOR JUSTICE – Part One _________________________________________________________________________________

Roger James Foulis Morrison, M.D., was found dead in his River Bluff Road home in Revelstoke,

British Columbia, late in the afternoon of Friday, November 9, 2012.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Kim Hall went to the home after having been contacted by “a

family member” (Dr. Morrison had only two “family members” – his wife Stefania Iaccino and his

brother, John Morrison).

The RCMP report stated that there was concern as Dr. Morrison had not been seen for several days.

Sergeant Hall found all the doors were locked from the inside by dead-bolt.

Access was gained using a key provided by “a family member” (not John Morrison).

The Revelstoke undertaker, Gary Sulz, was also present. The scene was described “as quite bloody and

disturbing.”

Gary Sulz told John Morrison that in all his years as an undertaker this was the worst he had ever seen.

“There was blood everywhere.” He had not seen a knife anywhere near Roger’s body and hadn’t

observed a suicide note.

RCMP officers had little idea of when death occurred. Was this acceptable? Death was estimated by the attending RCMP officers to have occurred “earlier that afternoon as rigor

mortis had not set in.”

This conclusion was challenged by funeral director Sulz who said physical signs indicated death occurred

about 24 hours earlier. He had told them he was not a medical person but his experience as an undertaker

showed rigor mortis had been and gone and checking the deceased’s eyes gave a good indication as to

how long before death had occurred.

Timothy Loader, the Golden-based community coroner for Revelstoke, phoned John Morrison on the

Sunday evening to advise that his brother’s body would be transported to Vernon for a “complex

autopsy.” John asked what that type of autopsy comprised and was told that given the horrific scenario at

the home, the autopsy would be more in-depth.

John asked if a toxicology report would be done. He was told that would be unlikely. “There was only

about a thimble full of blood in your brother’s body,” the coroner replied. “Tainted blood from the scene

could not be used.”

Gary Sulz had removed the body from the house and prepared for transportation to the coroner’s office in

Vernon. At the last minute the autopsy was canceled. Sulz told the CBC TV news program: “At the last

hour I was called, just prior to leaving, saying, ‘Stand down. We’re not going to have an autopsy now’.”

Sulz said he agreed Morrison’s death was likely self-inflicted, but believes an autopsy would have dealt

with unanswered questions. “Nothing [in this case] was standard.” Sulz added: “I would liked to have

seen the autopsy completed. It would have, if nothing more, given one member of the family [John

Morrison] peace of mind.”

Did Coroner Marzinzik overrule Coroner Loader for budgetary reasons?

The regional coroner, Larry Marzinzik, decided against proceeding with an autopsy based on a report by

RCMP Staff Sergeant Jacquie Olsen. She is quoted as saying “We have no doubt in our collective

investigational minds that this is suicide.” She said that the coroner makes the decision to conduct an

autopsy or not. “It’s his investigation and if he wants to have one he can, and if he doesn’t, they don’t.”

Olson had replaced Hall and had not been at the River Bluff house when the deceased was found.

Coroners in British Columbia are not necessarily physicians but generally have a medical, legal or

investigative background. This is unlike coroners in Ontario or medical examiners, who are required to

be licensed physicians.

On the Monday morning, November 13, 2012, Coroner Loader phoned John Morrison to tell him that

Coroner Marzinzik had ruled that there would not be an autopsy.

John Morrison was very concerned by this change of events. He sought answers from the coroner’s

office. He was told that Mr. Loader had been investigating a fatal crash west of Revelstoke the night

before Dr. Morrison’s body was discovered. Barbara McLintock from the coroner’s office said she did

not know why a coroner from Vernon or another location was not sent.

Nobody from the coroner’s office ever attended the River Bluff Road house.

Why did Coroner Marzinzik circulate a memo with two errors? Regional Coroner Marzinzik released a memo stating that Timothy Loader and Gary Sulz were in

agreement that an autopsy was not necessary. Why did he do that? Messrs. Loader and Sulz voiced their

objections to the memo as soon as they heard of it. Both shared the view that an autopsy should have

been conducted.

Was the forensic team/Major Crime Unit, real or imagined? The River Bluff Road house was released to Mrs. Morrison some six hours after the discovery of Dr.

Morrison’s body. John Morrison was told that the house was released after the Kelowna-based forensic

team left. However, Sergeant Don Smawley, Advisory NCO, E Division, RCMP at Kelowna, told John

Morrison no such team was dispatched to Revelstoke from Kelowna.

If a unit had been sent from Kelowna it would have taken them about three hours driving time, each way.

If the body was discovered at 1500 hours and the house released to Mrs. Morrison at 2100 hours it

wouldn’t have left any time for their forensic investigation.

Why did S/Sgt. Olson restrict information to Dr. Morrison’s brother? John Morrison was advised of his brother’s death on the evening of Friday, November 9 by RCMP

Constables Gordon Just and Sharp. Some months earlier John and his partner, Shelly Isfeld, had sought a

restraining order against Roger. John told the police “My brother was either going to kill us, himself or

all of us.” The police did not grant the restrain order. The evening Constable Just told them of Roger’s

death he added: “You guys said something like this was going to happen.”

John was given few details and told another officer would give him a fuller briefing in the days ahead.

Sergeant Kim Hall claimed she attempted to call John and he never called her back. John said there was

no call from her. His approaches to Staff Sergeant Olson’s office were met with a refusal to divulge any

information “as you are not the next of kin.” Olson told him the case was closed. Initially, John was

reliant on whatever Gary Sulz was able to tell him.

The coroner’s office reached him and said the case was open and ongoing. John wondered what in the

heck was going on.

Did media attention trigger belated action by the coroner’s office? Interest in the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Morrison caused CBC’s National Program

with Natalie Clancy, to visit Revelstoke and include her reports in a three-part series dealing with the

decline in autopsies in British Columbia. The story also featured in The Vancouver Sun, written by

Pamela Fayerman, their health issues reporter for the past nineteen years, The Revelstoke Times Review,

The Revelstoke Current, the Canadian edition of The Huffington Post, The Edmonton Journal and The

Ottawa Citizen. The reports reached right across Canada.

British Columbia has the lowest autopsy rate in Canada. Just 19.2% of deaths in British Columbia, where

a medical examiner or coroner has done preliminary investigation are followed up by autopsies. The

average for the rest of Canada is 35%.

Kathleen Stephany, a former British Columbia coroner was quoted by CBC News as saying: “The service

is not doing its job. This could be a homicide and we will never know if there’s been no autopsy.”

“A 19% autopsy rate in a coroner service, I think, is appalingly low,” said Dr. Robert Crossland, a former

BC coroner. “It should be much much higher. There’s something wrong here,” he told the Canadian

edition of The Huffington Post. “Is it because we don’t have the money?”

The burial had taken place but the coroner’s office advised the case was “still open and an investigation

proceeding.”

The widespread media attention focused on Revelstoke would not have been welcomed by the Coroner’s

office or the RCMP. John Morrison’s persistence was not winning him any friends.

Wouldn’t the absence of medically-trained people necessitate an autopsy? In Dr. Morrison’s case there had been no coroner or medical examiner present. The only people in

attendance were the funeral director and RCMP officers, all without any certified medical expertise.

Should this alone have made an autopsy necessary?

Was Coroner Loader’s report based solely on what the RCMP had told him? Following the widespread media coverage the coroner’s office decided to complete a report. Timothy

Loader was its author. Mr. Loader’s report was released on Monday, April 29, 2013, about 23 weeks

after the police examined the house and the forensic team were said to have completed their sweep.

His report described “a bloody scene, where adrenaline and insulin pills were found as well as numerous

over-the-counter and prescription medications.” It said there was a handwritten letter “indicating clear

despondency and self-harm intention.”

“Death had occurred at 1500 hours on Thursday, November 8, 2012 due to exsanguinations caused by

self-inflicted incised wounds. A thorough investigation was conducted by the Revelstoke RCMP in

conjunction with the E-Division Major Crime Unit. Dr. Morrison was found leaning against the wall in a

seated position at the bottom of the lower floor stairway. A steak knife was found in the tub of the main

floor bathroom. A small amount of blood was on the inside of the tub. Significant amounts of blood

were observed on the bed, bedroom floor and hallway of the lower floor. Another steak knife with blood

residue was found on the bedroom floor. Both knives were confirmed as being from the residence.

Examinations of Dr. Morrison found multiple medial-lateral lacerations on both forearms. There were

also two superficial lacerations to the upper chest area. All injuries were consistent with self-inflicted

injury. There were no defensive wounds.

“Toxicology analysis revealed a blood alcohol level of 0.03%. Also detected were the over-the-counter

medications naproxen and diphenhydramine at low levels.”

His alcohol blood was only 0.03% and that combined with low levels of medications used for treating

insect bites and anti-inflammation, seems a strange ‘cocktail of choice’ for a trained physician intent on

committing suicide.

Mr. Loader’s report relied solely on reports forwarded to him by the RCMP officers who attended the

house on November 9, 2012, as he had not been there.

As there was only a small amount of alcohol and no steroids in Roger’s system, why was the floor said to

be strewn with numerous ampules and empty bottles of medication indicating a possible drug binge

leading to suicide? Could they have been planted?

John was told by the coroner’s office that he would not be sent a copy of the toxicology report as he was

not the next of kin. This is the same as he was told by Staff Sergeant Olson.

A few weeks later the toxicology report arrived in the mail.

Why was there “blood everywhere?” Gary Sulz, the undertaker, had told John Morrison “there was blood everywhere.” Why would a person

committing suicide make the deep, fatal lacerations and then move around the house? Would he have

been able?

The American College of Surgeons’ Advanced Trauma Life Support says hemorrhaging can be divided

into four classifications or levels of severity. Tim Loader had told John Morrison “there was barely a

thimble full of blood in your brother’s body,” so hemorrhaging would have been massive. Of the four

levels he probably ended up at the fourth.

Dr. Joe Alton, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons says that level three refers to a loss of 30 to

40 per cent of blood volume. This could be three to four pints. When over 40 per cent of blood volume is

lost the heart is no longer able to maintain blood pressure and circulation. Hypovolemic shock causes the

person to collapse in a comatosed state preceding death.

The coroner’s report said that both forearms had been cut. This would have involved the brachial arteries.

These arteries are close to the surface allowing a doctor to use a sphygmomanometer to measure blood

pressure. The blood loss from both being severed would not have allowed Roger to move for very long

or very far. Collapse and death could have happened in minutes.

Most of the blood was found on the bed and Roger was about nine to ten feet away, in a seated position

alongside the wall. Loader’s report went on to say “significant amounts of blood were observed on the

bed, bedroom floor and hallway of the lower floor.” They were all roughly in the same area. But what

about the blood found in the main floor bathroom?

And how come they found not one but two knives? Loader’s report said one knife was found “in the tub

of the main floor bathroom” along with a small amount of blood. “Another steak knife with a blood

residue was found on the bedroom floor.” Why would he have used two knives? Did he make the

lacerations with one knife and then walk to where the other one was found?

Were the knives checked for fingerprints? That would have ruled out anyone else handling them. When

John Morrison asked Sergeant Grabinsky that question he did not get a reply.

Lacerations on both forearms meant Roger had to change hands to make the incisions. The first would

have been easier than the second. Then there were the upper chest cuts. A doctor told John Morrison that

if Roger had been full of steroids he probably could have done all of this while on the move but the

toxicology report indicated his system had no trace of that drug.

Who drew the blood for the toxicology report and when was it done? If there were no medically-trained people in the River Bluff Road house when the RCMP were

conducting their investigation, who drew the blood used for the toxicology report?

Why was the handwritten note not shown to John Morrison? Coroner Loader’s report mentioned a handwritten note. Earlier reports stated that Dr. Morrison had left a

long personal message on his computer. That seemed to fade as the handwritten note materialized.

Handwriting on the note was supposedly verified by “a family member” (not John Morrison).

Did the RCMP investigate or talk to any of Dr. Morrison’s ‘associates’? About the time Dr. Morrison’s death occurred, a letter from the British Columbia Corrections Department

arrived, advising Dr. Morrison that a man was recently released on bail with the condition he stay away

from Dr. Morrison. The letter advised Dr. Morrison to contact the police if there was any contact. The

man, Michael Darrell Robinson, had a lengthy criminal record, mostly for minor crimes.

Why was Dr. Morrison’s car parked away from his home? Dr. Morrison’s car had been found parked about a quarter-mile from his home. How it came to be there

was never explained. It stayed there for a couple of days.

If Dr. Morrison was rebuilding his life, why would he commit suicide? Dr. Morrison had been struggling with a steroid addiction for some years. In 1981 he was crowned

Junior Mr. British Columbia in its body building competition. He had concentrated on body building

throughout his life but as the years began to take their toll he resorted to steroids to bolster his physique.

In May 2009, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia suspended him for 18 months

after he used a patient’s identity and Care Card to obtain his own medical test results at a lab in

Kamloops. In May 2010 the College had imposed limits and conditions on his medical license. There

were certain prescriptions he could not write. He had also been sent to Ontario for alcohol rehabilitation.

By late 2010 he was getting control of his life and, working with other doctors, began seeing patients in

Kamloops, Sicamous as well as Revelstoke. He even leased office space in Revelstoke, had it equipped

and named his proposed clinic, “Roger’s Pass.” As he was still about 12 months away from being able to

practice on his own, the lease lapsed.

However, in Sicamous, he worked with Dr. Jack Beech. They talked about Dr. Morrison buying the

practice. In 2014 Pamela Beech, manager of the Sicamous Medical Clinic, was quoted in the Salmon Arm

Observer about her husband’s search for a successor. She said he was turning 65 that year and would like

to ease out of the practice. She said he was reluctant to do so without a replacement. “For the past six

years we have been trying to recruit for the clinic. One doctor who had planned to take over the practice

passed away.” That doctor was Roger Morrison.

Dr. Morrison’s constructive plans to again fully utilize his medical skills are hardly consistent with

someone contemplating ending his own life. His income was also back on an upward trend. The Medical

Services Commission said that he averaged $270,000 in 2007-2009. This dropped to zero when he was

under suspension. But in 2012, up to the time of his death, his income was climbing to the $155,000

mark.

A Vancouver doctor he knew from medical college days said he was totally committed to medicine. “I

never met anyone who wanted to be a doctor more than he did.” Roger was a well-respected physician

who had graduated with honors as a medical practitioner in 1995 at McMaster University. Their medical

school is rated 25th in the world and 3

rd in Canada. Prior to that he was a certified naturopathic doctor, an

acupuncturist and a licensed chiropractor.

Roger had recently gone through all the discomfort of having a hip replacement. With all that behind

him, why give up and end his life? He was popular with patients and had wide respect throughout the

medical fraternity. The Canadian Medical Association’s Bulletin of February 2013 included this in their

memoriam section: “Roger died on November 8, 2012, aged 50. He is survived by wife, Patricia [sic].

Should anyone feel moved to offer a small token of condolence, a donation to the local animal shelter

would, safe to say, bring a smile to a face missed by many.” The Association didn’t realize Patricia was

three marriages ago.

Had Mrs. Morrison prepared the papers for divorce? Dr. Morrison and his wife, Stefania, were estranged. According to his friend, Patricia Campbell, she had

vacated the River Bluff Road house and moved in to her father’s basement suite on December 14, 2010.

Dr. Morrison was in Vancouver when this happened. He was attending a hearing of the College of

Physicians and Surgeons dealing with the full restoration of his medical license. On his return he found

the house empty. All the furniture had been moved out by Don Mundell, of the Columbia Carpet Care

company. There wasn’t even a bed for him to sleep on.

Patricia Campbell went to Stefania’s basement suite. “It was set up very nicely with all her furniture and

belongings. Her son was playing a guitar on the couch.”

According to a statement made by Patricia Campbell, “Roger changed the locks on the doors many times

but also many times Stefania broke a window to enter or she would try and leave a window open to enter

the house when he was not present.”

“No possibility of reconciliation” cited in Stefania’s divorce papers In February 2012 Stefania engaged the Nixon Wenger law firm at Vernon to represent her in the

preparation of divorce proceedings against her husband. Philip A. Dyck, was assigned to be the lawyer

handling her case. The papers had not been served at the time of Roger’s death.

The papers said a divorce would be sought on the following grounds: “My spouse and I have lived

separate and apart since February 17, 2012. We have not lived together since then; there is no possibility

of reconciliation.”

This paper didn’t seem to make sense. She said they had been living apart since February 17, 2012,

“without possibility of reconciliation” and yet it was signed on February 23, 2012. Was she filing papers

claiming they had been separated for only six days?

Notice of the family law case claim would have given Dr. Morrison 30 days after the filing to lodge a

response. The trial would be held at the Vernon Supreme Court Registry on 27th Street, Vernon.

She would be seeking spousal support and property claims under the Family Relations Act. Also listed

under Other Orders were claims for costs against the Respondents; Restraining Order with respect to the

Disposal of Assets; Restraining Order with respect to Conduct; Exclusive Occupancy of the Home or

Premises.

She was also making the following other claims; “The Respondent ROGER JAMES FOULIS

MORRISON wrongfully and intentionally, and without warning or cause, assaulted the Claimant at

Revelstoke, British Columbia and in Mexico.

“By reason of the assault and battery by the Respondent, ROGER JAMES FOULIS MORRISON, upon

the Claimant, the Claimant sustained personal injuries and has suffered other loss and damage, particulars

of which include the following: (a) Injuries on her head, neck, shoulder, right wrist, teeth and other parts

of her body; (b) Multiple bruises to her body.”

A Certificate of Pending Litigation was sealed by D.L. Taylor, Deputy District Registrar at the Court of

Vernon, British Columbia on February 23, 2012.

Dr. Morrison had also told friends he wanted to end what was his fourth marriage.

In his written statement made on November 18, 2012, just nine days after Roger’s body had been found,

Frank Lentini said: “In the last year I had become quite close with Roger. We both had a deep interest in

body building which made our friendship easy. We would spend hours talking about life, our

relationships and of course lifting weights.

“In July Roger took me to Kelowna to meet Henry Caulker who was Professional Bodybuilder as a

birthday present to me. During that trip in July we talked a lot. He shared with me that he felt trapped in

his relationship and that they hadn’t been intimate in over a year. He said he found a “draft” copy of

divorce papers. Roger said the papers talked about things Stefania wanted and now the ring Roger bought

was worth a lot of money and she wanted the equivalent of the ring in cash and alimony.

“He said he felt trapped because if she left she would make sure he never worked as a doctor again

because of their marital issues and because the police had been called [too] many times. He would get his

medical license taken away and how he could not afford to live in his house on $15 an hour working at

the 7-11. His words: ‘If I can’t be a doctor, I am nothing. There’s no way out.’

“Roger would say: ‘If I die, what would happen to all my stuff? I have no kids, who would look after my

dogs? Who would get my trophies? Look at all the hard work I’ve put into my house, who would get it?

I do not want Stefania having or living here with her kids in my house.’

“I told him if that’s how he felt then leave his house to a charity. His mom loved animals as he did so I

said leave it to the SPCA. Roger has told me this countless times, he worried about this a lot.”

From all accounts their marriage was like a revolving door. She was in the River Bluff house, and then

she was out. Then she was back in again. Frank Lentini described it this way: “I became closer to Roger

in March 2012 after he had hip surgery. He made it known to me his relationship with Stefania was

always on and off, meaning fighting and breaking up. She would move out and move in.

“It was in June or July of 2012 that Roger went to City Furniture to purchase new furniture as she would

move and cause intentional damage to his walls and house. Stefania officially moved out into her dad’s

basement suite in his home as she was renting her own house out,” he recalled.

Violet Morrison with her two sons photographed in the backyard of the family home on McKenzie Avenue, Revelstoke. Violet was

taking a break from her life at the Mt. Cartier Court facility

Five days before Roger’s death On Saturday, November 3, 2012 (five days before his death) Roger called Frank to ask about a new puppy

they had acquired. “He called and spoke to my wife, asked how the dog was and if I was home. She told

him I was downtown. Kerrie (my wife) said he sounded relaxed and himself. I phoned him back later

and no answer. I phoned quite a few times sometimes hanging up and sometimes leaving a message. He

never returned my call which was strange because he always called me back.

“I was told by my wife Sunday, November 4, that a friend told her the police scanner said the police were

called to Roger’s house the night before. At that point I knew they had been fighting.”

Over the years Mrs. Morrison had made a number of calls to the police in which she alleged abuse. Her

accusations were documented by the RCMP. A document trail also shows her visits to Revelstoke’s

shelter for abused women. The relationship was described by RCMP Chief Superintendent Sekela as

“volatile.”

Why did Mrs. Morrison tell the RCMP “her husband hadn’t been seen for

several days”? On the Sunday evening before his death Stefania went to the River Bluff Road house and, according to

neighbors, they apparently engaged in an altercation. She called 911 and when the RCMP arrived she

filed assault charges against him. Even though she was estranged she still had keys to the house but

didn’t give them to the attending officers.

The police were unable to gain entry to make a formal arrest. Chief Superintendent Michael Sekela,

RCMP District Commander, South East District, E Division, wrote to John Morrison saying: “Although

he could be seen within the residence he avoided all attempts at contact by the police members.

“Your brother was known to Revelstoke Detachment members for various reasons, in particular as a

result of the volatile relationship with his estranged wife, Mrs. Stefania Morrison. In the past there have

been multiple instances of domestic violence between your brother and his wife,” said Chief

Superintendent Sekela.

Roger probably believed that another arrest would finish his medical career for good. But it would seem

he was never made aware of these pending charges because on the Wednesday afternoon they both visited

the Revelstoke Photo House where he bought a photo as a gift for Dr. Beech in Sicamous. That evening

he and his wife dined at the WK Chinese restaurant on McKenzie Avenue. The owner of the restaurant,

Felix, spoke to them, even introducing his family. He said Dr. Morrison was he quite affable and relaxed.

His composure hardly consistent with what he supposedly did to himself the following afternoon.

Coroner Loader wrote in his report that the RCMP had been called to the River Bluff Road home on

Friday, November 9, 2012. He wrote: “A family member was concerned for Dr. Morrison’s welfare as he

had not been seen for several days.” That family member would have to have been Mrs. Morrison as she

and John Morrison are the only family members.

Her statement when calling the police was obviously false as she and Dr. Morrison were dining together,

as mentioned above, on the evening before his death.

She had not withdrawn her assault charges and there had been no reconciliation that would have had her

back in the house, so what motivated her to ask a friend, Frank Lentini, to check on Dr. Morrison “and

feed the dogs.” And when Mr. Lentini declined, she called the police expressing concerns. If she and

Dr. Morrison had “mended fences” to the extent they were able to dine together and she had keys to the

house, would it not have been easier to satisfy her concerns by checking on him and the animals herself?

Frank Lentini did go to the house with the dogs’ food that he had picked up from Stefania’s father’s

house. He arrived about 1 pm and knocked on the front door. When there was no response he went

around to the kitchen door. He didn’t enter the house but was able to feed and water the dogs. He then

left. It was later that night after he had finished work, that his wife informed him of Roger’s death. “I

was in complete shock,” he said.

Did the RCMP take photos of the interior of the house on November 9?

Shortly after Mrs. Morrison assumed control of the house she filed an insurance claim for damages to the

interior. Was there was any physical damage prior to the handover? If the RCMP officers attending took

photographs they would provide the answer. Staff Sergeant Kurt Grabinski had stated the officers present

saw no signs of damage. Insurance adjuster, Mason Norman, took photographs showing significant

damage when he conducted his inspection after Roger’s funeral.

An anonymous letter makes a serious charge On a cold fall morning in 2012 John Morrison was working in the snow-covered grounds of the

Revelstoke School District 19. He was approached by Andy Daws, his supervisor, who said his presence

was required by Anne Cooper. She was the school superintendent. John made his way to the conference

room and when he entered saw the school trustees seated at the table.

He wondered what was going on. He had no hint of what was to follow. “John,” said Ms. Cooper, “we

have received a very troubling letter about you.” The trustees didn’t look at John but began reading and

shuffling material including copies of the letter. Ms. Cooper began reading: “We are a concerned group

of parents and you have, in your employ, John Morrison. He is unfit to be around children.”

John couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Ms. Cooper continued with the letter’s contents. It said that

if he was not dismissed she would be facing action to be removed as the school superintendent.

“I have two problems with this letter,” she went on. “Firstly that this is said to be a serious complaint

against you from a parent group and secondly, that this presents a threat to me.”

John was struggling to regain his composure. “This came from my brother,” he said. “It was mailed from

Kamloops where he is working and I can tell from the way the envelope was sealed.” Apparently it had

been sealed and then taped and stapled. “That’s the way he seals this sized envelope.”

Ms. Cooper said she would be forwarding the letter to the RCMP.

As soon as the meeting adjourned John went directly to the police headquarters. He asked them to do a

handwriting analysis of the letter. He left, still very shaken by the events. A month passed and nothing

was done. “I was still working at the school,” he said, “but things were very different. I would wave in

acknowledgement whenever a teacher went by me but now they would turn and look the other way.”

The desired effect of this anonymous letter was working.

Frank Lentini shocked by what he was shown The animosity expressed by Roger shocked Frank Lentini. Mr. Lentini, who had known him since the

late 1980s, said in a sworn statement: “On occasion Roger and I would go for a drive by the family home

on 9th Street. It was on one of these drives that Roger had shown me photocopies of papers he had sent to

John’s employer, School District 19, in the City of Revelstoke, depicting him as a sexual predator and the

last place he should be working in and around children.

“I told Roger ‘what are you doing man, that was his livelihood.’ He said ‘I don’t give a f----, I want them

to suffer.’ I did not go to the authorities with this information as I gave my word I would not as I had a

high level of respect for Roger and idolized him.”

Frank Lentini said he spoke with John after Roger’s funeral. He said Stefania became aware of this. In

his sworn statement he went on: “It was after this that Stefania had approached my mother Marie Lentini

at the City Furniture Store and said to her that she, Stefania, was trying to protect Frank as the police

could have arrested and charged him with murder of Roger Morrison. This was an odd and bizarre

statement to make to an 84-year-old lady and cause her distress.”

Next shock for John: “You are under arrest!” Time moved on past the horrific death of Roger, and then on March 13, 2013, John was told by Andy

Daws, Superintendent of Maintenance, that he had to leave the school. “What’s going on?” he asked. “I

don’t know, you just have to leave now. Go home.”

There were two police cars parked in front of his house. He walked towards the officers. Constable

David Segers told him he was under arrest. “What now?” he thought. He asked them why he was being

arrested. “A young girl has pointed you out as the person who broke into a house she was in last night,”

Segers replied. “You are being charged with break and enter at the home at 1620 River Bluff Road with

the intent to commit an indictable offence and uttering a threat to Josef Kollmann.”

John knew that Kollmann was the son of Stefania Morrison and the house was the home of his late

brother.

It was now clear to John exactly what was going on. This was a follow-up to the anonymous letter that

had been sent to the school. The proverbial second shoe had dropped.

Constable Jennifer McLean and Constable Shewchuk had been dispatched to Roger’s house at 1.46 that

morning. They knew the complainant, Josef Kollmann. Their report said that John Morrison had broken

into his late brother’s house armed with an axe.

The RCMP report said Constable Shewchuk spoke with Kollmann who stated that he and his girlfriend,

Stevie Schurdevin, had been relaxing on the couch in the River Bluff Road residence when a male came

to the front door and began pounding on it.

“Kollmann explained that he believed the man to be John Morrison trying to gain entry into the residence.

Kollmann told Morrison he was not coming in.”

The report went on: “Kollmann described seeing a male’s silhouette in the window which was similar to

Morrison’s stature. Kollmann heard several loud bangs on the door and heard a very loud crash and

realized that Morrison had just broken the door and stepped into the residence.

“Kollmann and Schurdevin ran through the front door with Morrison giving chase. Kollmann stated that

Morrison yelled ‘I’m going to castrate you.’ Kollmann fearing for his life fled the property and ran down

the road to a neighbor to seek help and call the police.

“Kollmann stated that he did not see Morrison’s face but stated there was no doubt from Morrison’s voice

and silhouette that was seen in the window that it was Morrison who broke down the door to the residence

and threatened him.”

The report said Schurdevin attested to the same story as Kollmann “however has never had prior dealings

with Morrison so could not positively identify Morrison as being the perpetrator.” That hadn’t stopped

her from pointing out John Morrison to the school principal and saying that ‘he was the one.’

Constables McLean and Shewchuk went to the house and found the front door was broken open. They

took photographs of footprints in the snow outside the house. They were joined by RCMP Corporal Page

of their forensic investigation services, who took additional photos of boot prints and tire tracks.

Constable Segers advised John of his rights.

“Constable Segers also compared the boot prints of John Morrison’s boots to the photographs of prints

found at the scene and found them to be nothing alike.”

The report said “John Morrison was co-operative with Constable Segers throughout his part in this

investigation.”

At 3 pm that afternoon, Kollmann gave a statement to Constable Segers. “We were watching a movie and

I was on the couch,” Kollmann said, “and then I heard a banging noise and woke up [it musn’t have been

much of a movie] and it was the front door. It was about, just two o’clock in the morning and um I got

up. I wasn’t really dressed. I had my blanket around me.

“I heard hey, hey, hey let me in. And I recognized the voice, that’s John a 100%. I ran to my girlfriend,

shook her awake and said we have to go now.”

Kollmann said his girlfriend was ‘pretty scared.’ “She screamed and we ran out that front door and didn’t

look back for quite a bit. We ran past my car, I didn’t have my keys on me, all I had was my cell phone

and my blanket, and she was just in a robe.”

He must have ditched his blanket and she her robe as the report went on: “We ran down the driveway

naked and sprinted and we just, we didn’t look back and once we got to the bottom we both fell.”

Segers took him through it again: “How did you know it was John? I need to know how were you able to

identify his being John?” Kollmann replied, “His voice and, his voice and his body shape, I just know

him so, I just know him so well. Um.”

“What was the color of his hair?” Segers asked. “Uh it would be dark, darker, darker hair umlike uh, kind

of like frizzy hair. Um it was more like a silhouette though it wasn’t, I didn’t see a lot of detail. It was, it,

there was lights on inside so it was pretty reflective but he was definitely about five feet ten inches, big

broad shoulders, big um shoulders . . . like his neck went, went up like that like he work, like he works it

out a lot. Um ya that he was big, big short, short guy just a big short guy.

“I’ll always know his voice like I spent a lot of time with John. Spent quite a bit of time with him, I used

to work out with him a lot.”

In actual fact they hardly knew each other. As far as John could recall the only time they had been at the

same function was when Roger and Stefania married and that was almost five years before. They had

never worked out together.

Kollmann asked Segers if John had been told Stevie’s name. He answered that he had.

“I’m just a little bit scared for her,” Kollmann said, “because she goes to school and he works there.”

“I can’t deny a man his income without really good cause,” Segers told him.

Clara Maltby, the Revelstoke School office manager, administers students’ attendance said Stevie

Schurdevin didn’t really go to the school. “She hasn’t been here for ages.”

John was formally charged, photographed and fingerprinted. His boot impressions were taken. He was

told he was facing between seven to nine years in jail.

On May 1, 2013, at the Provincial Courthouse in Revelstoke, he was remanded with a trial date set for

December 5, 2013. During this process he was not represented by a lawyer. He figured the charges were

so outrageous they would be dismissed.

The Canadian Charter of Rights, Sec. 10(b) is similar to the Miranda Rights in the United States. The

charging officer is required to say “It is my duty to inform you that you have the right to retain and

instruct counsel in private, without delay. You may call any lawyer you want.”

The Charter goes on to explain that there is a 24-hour telephone service available which provides a legal

aid duty who can give legal advice in private. This advice is given without charge and the lawyer can

explain the legal aid plan to you.

John was advised of this but he didn’t have the money to retain a lawyer for a case he was sure would be

thrown out before the day was over. The part about exploring representation at no cost hadn’t registered.

He has no recollection of it being mentioned. If he knew the RCMP intended to proceed with what he

considered was an outrageous charge, he would have not allowed himself to be placed in such jeopardy.

Where was he when Kollmann and his girlfriend were supposedly running naked through the snow?

He was home, in bed with his wife.

The next day Kollmann went back to the RCMP and amended his statement. He said that “He chased us

down the driveway, following closely. We never even got to get dressed, ran in the nude, no time at all,

may[be] 12 seconds. Was calling 911 at the same time. 911 had to call back because they didn’t

understand what I was saying.”

Barefoot and naked, running through the snow Her robe and his blanket now seemed to be missing. They ran barefoot and naked through the snow-

covered driveway with him clutching his cell phone dialing 911. Their pursuer was only 12 seconds

behind but despite both of them falling over, never caught up. The driveway is steep. It would have been

very difficult to have made it down, running, when they weren’t wearing footwear. Earlier references in

the police reports about an axe seem to have gone as well.

John was released on bond but with the condition that he report to a probation officer on a bi-weekly

basis. That went on for the best part of a year. He could continue working for the school but had to stay

clear of the elementary and high school students. He also had to stay away from his accusers and Stefania

Morrison.

“Victim” recants The day after his arrest Stevie Schurdevin went to the Revelstoke Social Services office and told Rhonda

Taylor, a social worker, that “she had no idea what that dude [John Morrison] looked like.” She had

heard that he wasn’t at the school anymore “and now he’s going to be pissed at me.”

Ms. Taylor had been handling welfare issues for Miss Schurdevin. She said she had been told what to say

by Kollmann. She didn’t know John Morrison and had never seen him before. She said she understood

he had been charged and she didn’t want to have anything to do with it. She said Kollmann had told her

to go to the school, point out John Morrison, and say that he was the one who broke in.

After speaking with Rhonda Taylor, Mike Hooker, Leah Duthie and Andy Daws went to the RCMP. They

reported what the girl had told Ms.Taylor. Hooker had replaced Anne Cooper as School District 19

Superintendent after her retirement.

Taylor verified what Schurdevin had told her but was reluctant to get further involved as it could have

compromised her position as a social worker and the confidentiality she felt went with it.

Stevie Schurdevin had also told Leah Duthie’s daughter that the whole thing was a lie. Despite the girl’s

recantation, the police did not dismiss the charges.

If John had been properly represented the case could have been shut down there and then.

The Nomad Café comment Leah Duthie and her husband, Sean, were at the Nomad Café. They saw Josef Kollmann who was

working as a waiter. They knew Kollmann as their daughter had been friendly with him. They asked him

how he was doing. “Things are much better now that step daddio is gone. Now all we have to do is get

rid of the step brother,” he replied.

Mrs. Duthie was so concerned by his comment she again went to the RCMP and gave a statement to

Constable Gordon Just. No police inquiry was held into what Kollmann was referring to and he was not

interviewed. She gave John Morrison’s legal advisor, Robert Lundberg, a written statement confirming

what she had heard.

Roger’s relationship with his step-son, Josef Kollmann, was not great. Patricia Campbell and her

husband, Tom, recalled an encounter that had occurred at Roger’s house. “Roger also told me that one

night he asked Stefania not to have her son Josef on the property. Stefania told Josef to come anyway to

pick up a check that she openly knew would cause friction and it did.”

Tom Campbell couldn’t believe it when Stefania called the police. He turned to her and said: “What the

hell are you doing calling the police?”

“It led to three RCMP vehicles and four police officers at the bottom road leading up to the residence,

contemplating going up armed,” said Patricia Campbell, “Josef and his girlfriend made allegations that

Roger chased them and was going to beat them. He had left out that he had challenged Roger as Stefania

looked on.

“Tom and I were both present when the officers arrived and I was the one who talked Roger into coming

down his road to peacefully speak to the officers.”

Job refusal letter written and mailed before the interview John had been working a full week but as a part-time employee. This came with reduced benefits. The

stress of the past months resulted in him having three weeks off under a Doctor Hunt’s supervision. John

also had a hernia operation. His seniority at the school had him in line for a promotion to fulltime

category with the retirement of John Dolliver, a workmate.

On June 10, 2013 he returned and applied for the open position. He was told he had to be interviewed,

but this was only a formality. He thought the interview went well but when he got home there was a letter

from the school. His application had been refused.

Barbara Ross, the school district’s secretary/treasurer, wrote: “John, I regret to advise that we are unable

to proceed with your bid as you currently do not have all of the requisite qualifications.” The letter had

been written and mailed before the interview. Whether it was the anonymous letter from “the concerned

group of parents” or him allegedly chasing the naked couple through the snow, he was someone the

school wanted rid of.

He was offered a shorter work week that came with a smaller paycheck, so decided to call it quits. He

had worked at the school for five years.

The school employment had been his main source of income. Without it he was facing what seemed to be

an endless stream of legal issues coming out of Constance Brothers’ office and dwindling financial

resources to address them. To rebuild his photographic business he needed a clear calendar. That was not

possible due to the time he had to devote preparing affidavits, collecting records and appearing in court.

Trial was set to begin but both accusers are missing When the trial date came up for the break and enter case Stevie Schurdevin did not appear. A bench

warrant was issued for her arrest but she had left town. Kollmann didn’t appear at the court either. Why

wasn’t an arrest warrant issued to apprehend him?

The judge dismissed all charges and assured John that all reference would be expunged. He would not

have a record.

When the charges were dismissed why did the RCMP not arrest Josef Kollman for filing a false and

malicious charge?

If a police motto is to Serve and Protect they weren’t doing much of either for John Morrison

A SEARCH FOR JUSTICE – Part Two

___________________________________________________________________________________

John and Violet Morrison married in Larne, County Antrim, Ireland, on November 2, 1948.

Son, John, was born in May 1956 and eight months later the family of three left for a new life in

Canada. They settled in Revelstoke, British Columbia, a city with a population of around 7,500,

sitting 398 miles east of Vancouver.

In August 1962, a second son was born. Roger’s Pass had recently opened and the Morrisons named their

baby in honor of the Canadian landmark. John and Roger were raised in Revelstoke, one pursuing a

career in photography, the other, in the medical field. The Morrisons were a closely knit family and the

boys suffered a devastating loss when their father died in December 1981 at the age of 61.

When Roger was two-years-old the family had moved from their rented apartment in Birch Lodge on

McKenzie Avenue to the Lundell House. They rented this four-bedroom, two-bathroom home and

eventually bought it. The house was Violet’s pride and joy, even with the supposed haunted bedroom on

the second floor.

John established a photographic studio in Toronto and Roger enrolled in McMaster University on his way

to becoming a chiropractor. But Revelstoke was still “home.” Their parents worked and saved until they

had enough to buy the property at 218 Ninth Street East. That house will be the centerpiece of this three-

part story.

HAPPIER DAYS: Roger and Patricia Morrison in Revelstoke in August 2003, where he was then practicing as a physician.

Violet often joked with Roger, asking him when he was going to become ‘a real doctor.’ It got through as

he went back to McMaster to pursue a medical degree. He subsequently graduated with honors. At that

time Roger was married to Patricia Doreen Dybvig. It was his second marriage, the first being when he

was very young. Patricia provided both emotional and financial support while he completed his studies.

John’s 25-year photographic career had taken him from Toronto to Dallas and Northern California. He

returned to Revelstoke regularly to visit with his mother and Roger. The boys had a firm relationship and

enjoyed each other’s company, climbing the many mountains surrounding their hometown.

Roger was part of the Selkirk Medical Group with working privileges at the Revelstoke Hospital where he

had been born.

Violet suffered a bad fall and it resulted in her right leg being amputated. Patricia was devoted to her

mother-in-law and concentrated her efforts to make life easier for wheel-chair bound Violet.

John returned to Revelstoke to check on his mother. He was alarmed at what he found. She had lost

weight and had been moved to Moberly Manor, a nursing home for senior citizens located on Second

Street, near the center of the town.

Moberly Manor closing down John learned of another problem. The Interior Health Authority had plans to close Moberly Manor and

redevelop the site for advanced senior care. The current residents were told they had to move. The IHA

decision sparked a protest rally where more than 400 Revelstokians took to the streets to defend “their”

senior citizens’ home. Violet was one of the residents told she had to go. The protests succeeded and the

IHA had to commit more money than they had intended to relocate the Moberly Manor residents. They

financed the construction of a new wing at the Revelstoke Queen Victoria Hospital. This area was

referred to as “the cottages” and named Mt. Cartier Court.

The top priority for the Morrisons from 2003 was to secure a spot for Violet in “the cottages.” John did

what he could but it was difficult while living in California. Roger was one of the city’s seven doctors

who serviced the hospital on a rostered basis. This involvement certainly helped. They were successful

and two years later Violet moved from Moberly Manor with other fellow residents.

Her affairs needed attention as did general maintenance on the old family home.

John decided it was time to leave the U.S. and head back home to be nearer his family but he had many

business affairs to deal with before that would be possible. It was 2006 before he was in a position to

move back to Canada.

What caused a rift in the family relationship? Stefania Carmela Iaccino was working at the Revelstoke Hospital as a care aide. She and Roger became

more than acquaintances. His medical duties required him to be at the hospital on a regular basis. Word

of his growing relationship with Miss Iaccino got back to Patricia, putting a strain on her marriage.

She approached Miss Iaccino and asked her to stay away from her husband. She said they were working

to reconcile their differences and his drinking. It had no effect.

The problem didn’t alter Patricia’s attention to Violet’s well-being. When she was at Moberly Manor

Patricia would push her wheelchair around town and tended to her needs at the home.

John made regular visits back to Revelstoke and could see what was happening. Roger’s affair with Miss

Iaccino certainly did not meet with his approval. A rift between the two brothers began to simmer.

The end to Roger’s second marriage actually came before John left California. Patricia and Roger

divorced on August 27, 2005. They had been married for eighteen years.

On a visit back to Revelstoke, Roger urged John to return to Canada to look after their mother. Roger

said that having just gone through a divorce and with a very heavy schedule as a doctor it was impossible

for him to maintain two homes and fulfill his other obligations. Roger suggested John could live in the

family home and in turn, maintain it. Paying rent was never mentioned.

On May 26, 2005, Dr. Syd McKnight of the Selkirk Medical Group wrote a letter recommending John’s

return to Revelstoke. He wrote: “Please be advised that Mr. Morrison is a gentleman whom I have

known for several years. John’s mother, Violet Morrison, is an 80-year-old woman who is a resident at

Moberly Manor, a nursing home in Revelstoke, B.C. Mrs. Morrison has failing health and is quite frail at

the present time. She really enjoys her son’s visits and I have encouraged John to come to Revesltoke as

frequently as his timeframe permits so he can spend quality time with his mother.”

Decision to head north was not easy Severing his many ties in the United States was not easy. He had gone through a divorce himself and was

negotiating a relocation to Dallas. The Supre Tan company now operating as Sun Evolutions, had offered

him the position as their inhouse photographer complete with a lavish studio. He was on the verge of

accepting it and had already shipped some of his equipment to Texas.

Moving back to Canada would mean forfeiture of his Green Card, which gave him the right to live and

work in the United States. His life and financial prospects were bright if he remained.

Business opportunities in Dallas were very attractive but the flat surrounding terrain didn’t measure up to

his love for the mountains of the small town he had grown up in. He put his Californian home up for sale

packed his furniture and headed north for the border with about $US40,000 in the bank.

When John reached Revelstoke in 2006 he found Patricia, Roger’s former wife, living in his mother’s

home. She had moved in knowing the house was empty and after it had become apparent that her

marriage was fast disintegrating. Initially Roger was supportive of her living in the house because her

occupancy prevented an escalation of the insurance premiums on an empty property. He also was pleased

that Patricia continued to provide caregiving services to his mother. It relieved any feelings of guilt he

had in that regard.

John and Patricia shared the house for about four months until she moved out and went to live with her

mother in Vancouver. That followed Roger, in an explosive rage, telling her to get out of town. She has

since remarried. He no longer needed her there if John was going to be home looking after their mother.

On August 25, 2006, Roger finalized his Will. He nominated John to be the Executor and Trustee. He

also left his entire estate to John. This was a clear indication that there was no real animosity between

them at that time.

Roger and Stefania Iaccino married on August 9, 2008 at the Hillcrest Resort Hotel, nestled at the base of

the spectacular Selkirk and Monashee Mountains on the outskirts of Revelstoke. John Morrison was

Master of Ceremonies and took all the photographs. Stefania moved into Roger’s upscale home on River

Bluff Road.

The phone call that abruptly ended a marriage This was Roger’s fourth marriage. In the period between divorcing Patricia and marrying Stefania he had

added another wife. John had suggested that he should look for a mate using the Internet. He made

contact with Kathy Bottone, Crime Scene Analyst with the Police Department in Boulder, Colorado. He

flew to Boulder to meet her and arranged for Kathy to come to Revelstoke, where she met Violet and

John. Shortly after she and Roger were engaged. A smart and attractive woman, probably the best

equipped to straighten out Roger’s life, had arrived on the scene.

Roger took the steps to get the appropriate immigration visa enabling Kathy to legally enter Canada. This

required him posting a sizeable bond. Kathy had inquired about employment possibilities with Canadian

law enforcement. Roger flew to Boulder where they married.

The ink was hardly dry on the marriage certificate before Kathy received a call from a woman in

Revelstoke (guess who). The woman claimed that even after Kathy’s engagement to Roger she had been

sleeping with him. That was enough for Kathy. The marriage was over before it really got started.

There was the occasional argument between the brothers but when the heat passed their relationship was

sound. Each day they had coffee together and went to the gym to work out. John was then living and

maintaining the home where he and Roger had spent their youth. He would bring his mother back there

for the occasional visit but while she loved being in surroundings so dear to her, she was more

comfortable at the hospital.

Shelly, John and Violet Morrison. They were about to have lunch. Violet was then living at “the cottages” at the Revelstoke hospital.

John’s move back from the U.S. had caused an end to his photographic business. If he was to stay in the

Revelstoke area he would need employment locally. The labor market was tight. He applied for a position

at the Revelstoke school. He secured a job in a general maintenance capacity. It was a far cry from the

life and income he had in Ontario and the States but it allowed him to be near his mother.

In 2008 John was joined by his girlfriend, Shelly Isfeld. She moved in with him. They married on May

24, 2012 at Melita, Manitoba.

The relationship between the two brothers continued to deteriorate. Stefania had no positive interaction

with either John or his partner. Violet’s health was far from good but it did shield her from knowing that

the family bonds were really starting to fray.

John sent Roger an email during one of their more heated exchanges, he said: “I am coming for you.”

Within 24 hours there was an RCMP officer at John’s door wanting to know what he meant by it. John

explained he had had enough of the threats and defamation directed at him from Roger and Stefania. “I

was not going to cause any harm to my brother to impact his medical license regardless of what was done

to me,” he told the officer.

A walking advertisement for ’roid rage Roger had taken to an increased use of steroids and they caused him to suffer mood swings. John

described him as being a “walking advertisement for ’roid-rage.” This condition has been described by

Dr. Gary Wadler, clinical associate professor at New York University’s medical school “as a form of loss

of impulse control. It is rage precipitated by the brain being exposed to anabolic steroids. It provides

overreactions via a stimulus that normally doesn’t produce such a severe reaction.”

Dr. Wadler said anabolic steroids build muscle and retain protein. That is probably what got Roger

started on them. Dr. Wadler also said that they can result in extreme aberrations of behavior including the

taking of one’s life.” This may have been why RCMP officers rushed to their decision that his death was

suicide brought on by a history of using these drugs.

The testing and monitoring of his condition by the medical board while he was under suspension had

indicated he was free of steroids and there was no trace in Coroner Loader’s toxicology report. But in the

years prior to the suspension and subsequent monitoring he was subject to episodes of rage, and that

didn’t help the relationship between the two brothers.

Boiling point was reached when John saw Roger attaching a note to his Jeep. The note was a long,

rambling demand for all sorts of debts he claimed were owed to him. It was full of typos, liberally laced

with the four letter word. Reading it you would be inclined to think it had been written by a 3rd

grader

and not a highly-trained physician. It clearly spelt out the venom Roger felt for his brother and partner,

Shelly Isfeld. Whether this had been due to a build-up triggered by steroids, alcohol or other issues is

unknown but the letter was obviously written when he was under the influence of something.

It was the first time Roger had demanded $1200 a month rent for the family home along with “the

minimum 50-60 thousand” he said he had loaned John. “Burn it down if you want,” he said referring to

the house. “Either way I get my money out of it, land is land.”

In view of his changed attitude, obviously brought on by steroids, alcohol and other pressures, it is a

wonder he didn’t pursue Patricia for her unpaid rent when she was living in Violet Morrison’s home.

Did John borrow money from Roger and were the loans forgiven? John did get financial help from his brother and he readily acknowledges it. In his response to one of

Stefania’s many affidavits, John stated: “I never borrowed significant sums of money from my brother.

On three or four occasions he did help me financially when I was going through a divorce in the U.S.

“My brother was a good brother to me and always said money to him was no big deal and rather than be

stubborn and foolish, paying interest on credit cards I was behind on, I let him help me. And he did more

than once.

“There were never any promissory notes. They are either non-existent of if existent, forgeries.

“As for a litigation order for $6,000, I have no idea what this is. This is the first I have ever heard of such

a claim. If I owed my brother money I would repay it.” He was paying off a $13,000 loan through the

Royal Bank until Roger told him to stop.

Patricia Campbell told of the night Roger went to the hospital to see his mother. It was late and he was

not in a good mood. He had come from a meeting with a Dr. Baker, who supervised his medical

restrictions. They had a mutual dislike for one another and their meeting at obviously not gone well.

Probably fueled by this, an argument between the brothers began almost from when Roger arrived. It

was so loud that the nurse-in-charge called the police. RCMP Constable Gordon Just arrived and settled

things down. Mrs. Campbell’s sworn statement said: “Roger told me when the police came in they tried

to settle the disturbance and took both him and John into the chapel.

“Constable Gordon Just was the officer who came in between Roger and John. It was there that Roger

told me [that] he Officer Just told that he did not want the money that his brother John owed to him.

“During that time Officer Just sat there as a middle man. He was much respected by Roger because of

their same interest in the gym.”

A SEARCH FOR JUSTICE – Part Three

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The home where the Morrison family lived at 218 Ninth Street East. The Morrisons were hosting my parents when this photograph was taken in September 1977. From left to right: John O’Neill, John Morrison Snr., Violet Morrison, her sister Margaret O’Neill and 15-year-old Roger Morrison. The photograph was taken by John Morrison. The O’Neills made two visits to Revelstoke.

This Revelstoke house at 218 Ninth Street East, became the center of a one-sided legal struggle over

a two-year period as it constituted just about all of Violet Morrison’s estate. She had named her

two sons, John and Roger, as joint executors in the administration of her Will. Violet would have

been shocked if she had learned that a legal action brought by her daughter-in-law, Stefania

Iaccino Morrison, resulted in John being removed as executor.

Violet Morrison was 87 when she died at the Revelstoke Queen Victoria Hospital on September 22, 2011.

John and his partner, Shelly Isfeld, were living in the family home. Roger and his wife, Stefania, were in

the home at River Bluff Road.

There seems little to contradict the impression that Roger’s friendship with his brother went south shortly

after he married Stefania. In contrast to the 2006 Will, on May 5, 2010, Roger appointed Stefania as

Trustee and Executor of his new declaration. His estate was also left to her. John, who had been executor

and sole beneficiary of the 2006 Will was not mentioned. While it is to be expected that the spouse

inherits the estate, John’s total omission is in stark contrast to Roger’s feelings four years earlier.

It is interesting to note that Roger’s 2010 Will appointed Thomas and Patricia Campbell as joint Trustees

if Stefania had predeceased him or had been unable or unwilling to fulfill the duties he had assigned to

her. This shows the trust and confidence he had in the Campbells, a point that will become important as

the story continues to unfold.

Since his return in 2006 John Morrison had been trying to break back in to advertising photography but

one issue after another seemed to pop up. Faced with a growing list of legal issues he went to see Glen

Ewan, a Queen’s Counselor, in Golden, a town about 90 miles east of Revelstoke. He had three short

consultations with Mr. Ewan but the $275 a time was more than he could handle.

Mr. Ewan told him he required a $20,000 retainer if he was to continue. That was beyond him and their

association ended. He looked for help through Revelstoke Health Services. That led to a meeting with

Alice Daniels at the Seniors’ Advocacy Group. She suggested he make an appointment with Robert A.

Lundberg, a Revelstoke lawyer. John told her he had no money to pay for legal services and she said

something could be worked out.

The arrangement they made was that John would have to do all preparatory matters and Mr. Lundberg

would act in an advisory role. In almost all of the court appearances, John represented himself. This was

not by choice but rather because he lacked the cash to retain counsel.

The same did not apply to his sister-in-law. Stefania Morrison had adequate funds to retain Constance M.

Brothers as her attorney. She had sold the River Bluff Road property and was financially sound. The

fight over the estate of the late Violet Morrison became very much a one-sided affair.

Efforts to get Violet Morrison’s Will Ms. Brothers sent letters saying that legal action would be taken against John if his mother’s house was

not sold promptly. It could not go to probate without Violet Morrison’s Will and this was in Ms.

Brothers’ possession. John wrote to her asking for the Will to be sent to him.

When his letters drew no response, on June 5, 2013 he had Mr. Lundberg write: “Dear Madam, Further

to my repeated demands for the original of the Will of the above deceased [Violet Morrison] I note that

we still have not received it, but you have filed the 14 day demand in the Salmon Arm Court Registry.

Mr. Morrison has advised that he originally provided the co-executor, his brother, with the earlier

information required and I note you have not as yet specified what additional information you require.

“I will note that the widow of the co-executor has no right to retain the original Will nor has she any right

[to] the information you have demanded or specified.

“The rights your client’s hold are only those of a beneficiary and not anything greater.”

Ms. Brothers had retained the Will for over a year. When Mr. Lundberg’s letter failed to have her

produce it, John Morrison wrote to the Attorney General for Canada, reporting her inaction.

The Will was sent to Mr. Lundberg’s office after this letter.

John Morrison’s lack of income, due to the fabricated charges sent to School District 19 Superintendent

Anne Cooper, saying he was a threat to children, made it difficult to find the money required to pay

probate charges.

Violet Morrison had passed away on September 22, 2011. As from that date until his death on November

8, 2012, Roger was co-executor of his mother’s Will with brother, John. As such, he would have been in

a position to pay the probate charges and initiate what the law required. Roger, or his attorney, Ms.

Brothers, had custody of the Will that would also have been required. For whatever reason he did not do

that.

The withholding of the Will was only one obstacle to John fulfilling the duties as executor of his mother’s

Will. He also needed access to his mother’s belongings held by Stefania. These included Violet’s

jewelry, $2,700 in cash, and some other items. They were originally held in a security box at the

Revelstoke Credit Union. His requests to Stefania and her lawyer, to forward these valuables to him went

unanswered.

On May 25, 2015, Stefania Morrison filed her sworn affidavit at the Salmon Arm Court Registry in

support of her application to have John Morrison replaced as executor of his mother’s estate by herself.

Who was responsible for Exhibit “C’’? Part of her submission included Exhibit “C”. She said that gave some understanding and context of the

animosity between the two brothers. “I attach as Exhibit “C” hereto a copy of a letter from John Morrison

to Roger with postmarked envelope dated October 17, 2010.”

This particular letter was submitted on two other occasions by Constance Brothers, Stefania Morrison’s

lawyer. Its authenticity was challenged by John Morrison. He denied having written it or sending it to

his brother.

The five paragraph letter (with incorrect spelling) said in part: “You think because you live up on that hill

and you’re a doctor that your special well f---- you and think again. Pride comes before a fall and I can

make you fall and fall hard if you push me brother! So go ahead and just make my day and bring it on

and try me. I know your working hard to get back to work but what you don’t know is long time ago I

took something of yours for security and I will use it if I need to and I will bring you down and with all

your bullshit no one will believe you over me. If you want to draw blood then go for it and I promise I

will give you trouble you wont f---ing believe so back of!!!!!!

“Mums house and the property are ours now and you don’t need it your just being a greedy f---er and we

all know all you two think about is the money. That is the only reason Stefani married you and everyone

in town knows that. Look at the f---ing ring she wears you should have stuck with patricia at least she

was genuine.

“You f---- me brother and I will f---you ten times worse and you can take that to the bank my friend.

“P.S. F--- you and all the money I owe you to. It will be a cold day in hell my friend before you ever see

a dime of it back and there isnt sweet f--- all you can do about it asshole. Vengeance is mine says the

Lord.

“John Morrison.”

This letter was submitted in court three times by Constance Brothers despite a controversy surrounding it.

John Morrison was adamant that he did not write, sign or send the letter to Roger. This was supported by

Patricia Campbell.

In a sworn affidavit filed at the Salmon Arm Court Registry on March 3, 2005, Mrs. Campbell stated:

“Roger showed me a piece of paper with John’s signature on it on the bottom left of the page with no

other print. Stefania and Roger were in the office composing this letter. I had left Roger’s home and

went to Conversations [a coffee shop] which I owned at the time. Roger and Stefania stopped in at

Conversations and showed me the finished letter before giving it to Constance M. Brothers and the

RCMP. Stefania is fully aware that the letter is fraudulent.”

In the same affidavit Mrs. Campbell referred to money owed to Roger by John. She said: “Roger also

told me that he had forgiven his brother’s loan because really he never expected John to pay it back in the

first place and that John meant everything in the world to him and it was just his anger coming out due to

his feelings of being picked on.”

She said that Roger was more concerned about his lending of over $50,000 to Grant Fuoco and not being

paid one penny in return.

John Morrison filed the letter with Constable Trent Eresman and requested a handwriting analysis be

undertaken to prove his claim that the letter was a forgery. RCMP Staff Sergeant Kurt Grabinsky said the

letter sent to the police was a copy and to perform a credible handwriting analysis the original had to be

used.

The judge ordered Mrs. Morrison or her lawyer to produce the original.

Stefania Morrison, in a sworn statement, said she did not prepare or sign the letter or envelope. “I have

diligently searched my belongings and confirm that I do not have the original of the letter or envelope.”

Constance Brothers also told the judge they could not find the originals. She was then asked: “Why then

are we seeing these being used now for a third time against Mr. Morrison with intent to place him in a bad

light if photocopies have no credibility?”

The police took no further action regarding the letter and it seems to have dropped out of consideration by

the court. This letter with highly questionable origins was very damaging to John Morrison’s case. It

was equally very helpful for Stefania Morrison.

Shelly moves out after being stalked In the middle of all this another crisis erupted. John’s wife, Shelly, had been working at a hair salon on

Campbell Avenue. One evening John came home and she had gone. There was no explanation. She had

packed and moved out.

John went to see Catherine Moore, owner of the Salon Safari. She told John that Shelly had been stressed

as a Russian man had parked his car in front of the salon and sat looking at her all day long. This had

gone on for nearly three weeks.

When she left the salon to go to the post office or on other business, the man would follow her. She said

Shelly knew who he was and on one occasion when Catherine was with her, Shelly confronted the man

telling him to stop following her. He smiled smugly and said “it’s a free street.”

John asked Catherine why they didn’t go to the police. Shelly had said that would be of little use. “We

have sought their help in the past and found it’s a waste of time. They are not interested in helping us,”

she had replied.

Shelly had told her she hadn’t told John because he would go after the guy and that could lead to more

problems.

John knew the Russian and that he was a close friend of Stefania Morrison. He kept his temper but all the

stress he and Shelly had faced had obviously brought an end to their relationship.

John felt totally alone. His closest supporter had now left town.

Why didn’t Stefania Morrison pursue the $50,000 owed by Fuoco? Stefania Morrison testified she was aware of the $50,000 loan her husband had given to Grant Fuoco. In

the court she even corrected the amount saying it was not $50,000 but $53,000. It was more than four

times the $13,000 Roger had advanced to John. She had pursued the $13,000 loan and spent around

$8,000 to fulfill her duties as executor of Roger’s Will but, to this day, has done nothing about this much

bigger debt.

At an earlier hearing, when she sued John Morrison for the $13,000 loan, her counsel asked why she had

brought the action. “Being executor, I had to list . . . I had to collect all bills, and the $13,000 was

outstanding,” she told the court.

But, as executor, she hadn’t listed or attempted to collect the money owed by Mr. Fuoco.

Grant Fuoco had told a group of friends that he needed $50,000 to resolve a domestic dispute he was

engaged in. Roger was part of the group and offered to loan him the money. Stefania Morrison took a

very close interest in her husband’s business dealings and was aware of what was going on.

When she sued John Morrison on September 3, 2015, his defense was the $13,000 was forgiven by Roger

Morrison in front of RCMP Constable Gordon Just at the Revelstoke Hospital just prior to Violet

Morrison’s passing.

In a preliminary hearing Judge Mark G. Takahashi told John Morrison he would not win this case and

asked if he would settle and pay half, being $6,500. John Morrison told the judge he would not and that

he thought it improper for him to make a statement about how the case would turn out before he had

heard it.

When the case was heard, despite two affidavits and a statement from Constable Just, Judge Takahashi

reserved his decision for almost two months. He then ruled in favor of Stefania Morrison.

Judge Takahashi’s strange ruling The next time John Morrison was before Judge Takahashi in a preliminary hearing he was told he could

not insist on his mother’s belongings being handed over as he was not the executor of her Will. John

Morrison challenged the judge’s statement and was told he ceased being the executor when an application

to have him removed from that position was filed by Stefania Morrison’s lawyer.

John Morrison argued that the case dealing with the application to have him removed as executor had not

been heard so how could he be removed. The judge was adamant that John Morrison could not pursue his

mother’s estate items repeating that he was no longer the executor.

Because of Judge Takahashi’s insistence that he was not executor, John Morrison sought advice from a

senior real estate agent, Uldis Bokis as well as legal advisor Robert Lundberg. He was told not to pay

overdue property taxes on the house. This, he was told was due to the estate of Violet Morrison and not

him.

“I felt I should pay these but was strongly advised not to, given my financial position as well as the

situation that stood regarding Constance Brothers seeking to have me removed,” he said.

“I was advised until I was in fact either to remain in my role as executor or it be handed over to Stefania

Morrison or someone else, it was ludicrous for me to lay out $5,000. I thought this would help my

position to remain in ‘the driver’s seat’ but was told in view of the circumstances and Takahashi’s

position on this, it would not accomplish anything other than satisfy the city. If I had an excess of funds I

would have paid it anyway,” he said.

John did attempt to pay the city’s back taxes but it was refused. He was told that it could not be accepted

from him because the court had ruled he was not the executor. Actually the court had not ruled, only

Judge Takahashi. Whether his opinion was legitimate or not didn’t matter to the city. They were going

along with it.

John Morrison faced a dilemma. He was not permitted to pay the tax bill and the September 30, 2015

deadline for paying the taxes was fast approaching. The court was due to rule on whether he was or was

not the executor before September 30 but then a postponed date was requested by Ms. Brothers. To his

surprise, the court agreed on a November hearing.

City sold Violet’s house for $26,000 September 30, 2015 passed. The city posted the property for a tax-default sale and accepted a bid of

$26,000.

When the city listed the property for sale Constance Brothers cited it as another example of John

Morrison being negligent by placing the home in jeopardy and more grounds for having him removed as

executor, and her client taking his place.

Back on August 20, 2015, John Morrison’s legal advisor, Robert Lundberg, sent two bank drafts to the

Court Registry in Salmon Arm. The accompanying letter said: “Re: The Estate of Violet Morrison,

Deceased, File No. 15390. Enclose herewith please find two bank drafts totaling $5,372.00 owing for the

remaining probate fees on the above-noted matter. I have also enclosed two copies of the Estate Grant to

amend the date the probate was granted. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to

contact this office.”

The bank drafts were returned to Mr. Lundberg’s office with the advice that they could not be accepted as

John Morrison was no longer the estate’s executor.

In all, there were three attempts to pay the probate fees. All were rejected saying John Morrison was no

longer the executor. These all stemmed from the application filed by Constance Brothers and the

subsequent ruling by Judge Takahashi. Her application had effectively prevented John Morrison making

the payments and because he didn’t, she maintained it proof that he was not acting properly as executor of

his mother’s Will.

Some time later the city said they had miscalculated the amount owing and notified the woman who had

purchased the house at the “fire-sale price” that it had to be canceled and she would be receiving a refund

for the $26,000 she had paid. The city announced that if the taxes hadn’t been paid by September 2016

the house would again be on the market.

Reasons cited for John Morrison’s removal as executor The application to remove John Morrison as executor of his mother’s estate included the following

reasons: His failure to obtain probate on the estate of Violet Morrison; that his actions indicate that he

does not believe that the Roger Morrison Estate is entitled to anything from the Estate of Violet Morrison,

or that he intends to administer the Estate of Violet Morrison and/or that he intends to put the property up

for sale and have it sold; that he has lived in the property owned by Violet Morrison and now the Estate of

Violet Morrison since 2003 and does not appear to have paid rent and/or the bulk of expenses on the

property despite the fact that the late Violet Morrison resided in a care facility, suffering from dementia,

since at least 2005.

John Morrison taking his mother, Violet, for a canoe outing a few days before she died.

The combined research of both Constance Brothers and Stefania Morrison seems to have missed that John

Morrison was living in the United States up until his move north in 2006. They should have also been

aware that his decision to return followed Roger persuading him to move in and look after the old house

and that rent was never discussed. But that could be easily explained as Stefania was not part of the

Morrison family until her marriage to Roger in 2008.

John Morrison recalls one occasion in court when Constance Brothers said to Judge Takahashi, “We have

been wasting court time here with Mr. Morrison’s obvious agenda to stall these matters.” The judge

awarded her $750, the fee for that day’s court appearance.

Another mystery regarding the probate on Violet Morrison’s property surfaced when Constance Brothers

revealed that the Salmon Arm Court Registry had granted probate to John Morrison back on August 20,

2014. Despite the certificate being signed by the Registrar and duly sealed by the Supreme Court of

British Columbia, the probate fees hadn’t been paid for the reasons mentioned earlier. This was

obviously a mistake made at the Salmon Arm office and had not been corrected.

Ms. Brothers had obtained a copy of the false document and believing it to be factual, intended using it as

another illustration that John Morrison no longer had a probate hurdle and was stalling in his role as the

Will’s executor.

“Intention was to list the house out of province” Did John Morrison ever intend to sell the property as required for the dividing of Violet’s estate?

“It is my intention to execute probate when I am able to do so financially and list our home when the

market is such that I would gain maximum value for the property,” John Morrison had replied. “My

intention is to list the property out of province and try to gain a maximum dollar value.”

He pointed out that Roger’s lawyer, Constance Brothers, held the Will for almost a year. He could not

proceed without it.

“Roger was co-executor. He had access to the Will and could have moved to have probate granted but

didn’t. Constance Brothers, as his lawyer, would have known this,” he added.

Judge Donegan delivers her decision John Morrison received a copy of an email sent to Constance Brothers on January 11, 2016 from Brad

Anderson, an attorney with the Estate and Personal Trust Services. It said that Judge Sheri Ann Donegan

would pronounce a judgment on January 25, 2016. John wrote to Mr. Anderson saying that the email

indicated that a hearing challenging his role as executor of his mother’s estate had already been held

before this judge. He said that was news to him. If a hearing had taken place he was certainly not aware

of it or given an opportunity to speak to the issues.

He then went over the difficulties he had trying to pay the city back taxes on his mother’s property

because Judge Takahashi had said he was no longer the executor. Similarly, when John’s legal advisor

had attempted to pay probate fees, payment was returned to his office “as I am no longer the executor.”

John concluded his email to Mr. Anderson saying: “I think it is outrageous that Ms. Brother’s client

could be put forward as Administrator of my mother’s Will. Her continued refusal to account for some of

my mother’s assets in her possession has not been helpful in getting to a point where a sale of the

property can be effected and my mother’s estate distributed as she had directed. To date, items belonging

to my mother’s estate including a sum of money have not been handed over and simply reported as

“unable to be located.”

Judge Donegan referred to this paragraph as illustrating the animus John Morrison had for Stefania

Morrison. She said: “John Morrison has obviously a large amount of animosity for Stefania Morrison.

He has alleged he believes she had a hand in his brother’s death and now I see has filed an affidavit in

Salmon Arm where he also alleged she committed three counts of perjury.”

She then ruled against John, handing over responsibility for execution of Violet Morrison’s Will to the

Public Trustee’s office. John was told he would have ninety days to vacate the home he had grown up in.

There seems to be one major part missing prior to her decision. At the earlier hearing Constance Brothers

had presented her case. It went longer than anticipated and Judge Donegan said she was adjourning until

a date in November.

The hearing on November 3, 2015 was held by conference call. Ms. Brothers was on the phone in her

office. Robert Lundberg in his, and Judge Donegan in Kamloops. There was another hitch. John

Morrison’s affidavit had been filed at the Salmon Arm Court Registry in September but it could not be

found.

A call was made to Salmon Arm and after a search, they came back with the same answer. Judge

Donegan said she could not proceed unless a copy of the affidavit was in front of her. It may not have

been acceptable to the court but it seems a way to have moved things forward would have been for the

judge to ask Mr. Lundberg to email a copy of the affidavit directly to her while the meeting was still in

session. That wasn’t suggested.

Judge Donegan asked Ms. Brothers and Mr. Lundberg if agreement had been reached as to whether the

old or new probate laws would be used. It hadn’t, so Judge Donegan said she was going to adjourn the

meeting and that she would be presiding at a murder trial that would take three or four weeks. She told

those on the conference call that they would be advised of a new court date. John Morrison assumed at

that next meeting he would be able to speak to his affidavit which included references to when he

believed Stefania Morrison had committed perjury during his cross-examination of her.

The next meeting was the one I mentioned earlier on January 25, 2016 when the judge removed John

Morrison as executor and appointed the Provincial Trustee. John made the point in his letter to Brad

Anderson that he had not been given the chance to present his defense against the removal application.

Did her decision take into account the attempts John Morrison made to pay the probate fees; to pay the

city taxes; to retrieve items that had been his mother’s and were held by Stefania Morrison; the $2,700

owed to the Violet Morrison Estate that Ms. Brothers had said “could not be located;” the year-long

retention of his mother’s Will at Ms. Brothers’ office? One would hope so. Were these not important

parts of his role as executor that he had been prevented from performing? Apparently not.

Then there was the action of Judge Takahashi. Two separate lawyers told John Morrison “that Provincial

Court Judge Takahashi had no authority or business making comments on a Supreme Court matter.”

Lack of money prevented him engaging either of these attorneys but more to the point, did Judge

Donegan take Judge Takahashi’s ruling into account when considering John Morrison’s alleged

“tardiness” in not paying the probate fees and city taxes?

It seemed irregular that the decision to have him removed as executor and given an eviction notice took

place despite him not being given the opportunity to defend his actions. His affidavit had been sent to

Salmon Arm by Mr. Lundberg’s office so it was not a failing on his part. He only wanted what Judge

Donegan had already allowed Constance Brothers to do.

Notice to vacate On March 16, 2016 when John Morrison arrived home the following email was waiting in his inbox. It

was from Brad Anderson, the lawyer at the Estate and Personal Trust Services, Public Guardian and

Trustee office. It had been sent to Constance Brothers and forwarded to John via Joanne Chayko in

Robert Lundberg’s office. It read:

“Mr. Lundberg: Please advise Mr. Morrison that he must vacate the premises on or before April 25,

2016. Our investigators will attend on April 26 with a locksmith and the locks will be changed and the

property secured. Our investigators will be traveling from Kelowna and incurring expenses (billed to the

estate) so it is important that Mr. Morrison comply with the timelines. Mr. Morrison must remove all his

personal items prior to that date and leave any property belonging to the deceased. Anything remaining

Roger Morrison when he won the 1981 Mr. Junior British Columbia title. On the right, with his first wife, Kathy Mayberry.

will be deemed to belong to the deceased. If Mr. Morrison leaves earlier please advise and we will make

alternative arrangements.

“I note costs were granted to Stefania payable by John personally. I trust you will settle the amount of the

costs and the payment thereof between you. If payment is to come from John’s share of the estate we will

require a direction to pay signed by John.

“We have received a box of papers and jewelry from Mr. Lundberg and we are going through it.

“Going forward, Cindy Wong will be handling all administrative matters for the estate. Cindy will be

your (or your client’s) primary point of contact. For any unresolved legal matters you may contact me

directly.

“Brad Anderson.”

Another email from Anderson was received and dated March 30, 2016. It said in part: “If John Morrison

does not vacate voluntarily, and it is necessary to obtain a Writ of Possession and/or attend with the

sheriffs, those costs will be charged against John Morrison’s share of the estate. The legal costs to obtain

a Writ of Possession and the costs of the sheriff or bailiff could exceed $5,000.”

How did John Morrison do in his search for justice? If you were to ask me how did John Morrison do in his search for justice?

My answer: Not very well.

This sad saga has been put together to track the Morrison tragedy in three parts: the circumstances

surrounding the death of Roger; the story of a fine West Canadian family coming apart at the seams; and

finally, the battle over Violet Morrison’s estate.

Was Roger Morrison’s death the result of suicide or was foul play involved? I can’t answer that. At this

stage I don’t think anyone can. And it is doubtful anyone ever will. There are far too many unanswered

questions to answer conclusively, one way or the other.

Naturally I have my own opinion but I will keep it to myself.

The lack of a proper police investigation following the discovery of the body should be addressed. I

doubt that ever will,

Why was the house released with such haste? It appears the police on the scene made a quick evaluation

that it was suicide and wanted to close the case as soon as they could. They didn’t anticipate any

attention. It was all routine. The guy killed himself.

Was this presumption of suicide followed by a search to determine if another person was culpable under

Canadian law? I understand that a person who counsels, aids or abets a person to commit suicide is guilty

of an indictable offense and liable to up to fourteen years in jail.

I admit I am unfamiliar with the way things work in Canada. I lived there for a period during 1958 when

I worked on The Vancouver Sun, then owned by Pacific Press. That was back when the merge with The

Province took place. My awareness of how things work has come mainly from reading and the

occasional visit as a tourist.

I have assumed that your sound legal system was based on that operating in England and not unlike what

exists in the United States. The rich history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stands out as a model

for law enforcement around the world. I remember hearing when I was a kid that “the Mounties always

get their man.”

For those reasons compiling this summary has been troubling for me. The way the RCMP and Coroner’s

office handled Roger Morrison’s death tends to leave a blemish on both organizations and this in a

general sense, is very unfair.

When John Morrison was arrested on a highly imaginative break and enter threatening charge and one of

“the victims” recanted the following day why did the RCMP decide to proceed with the case?

John Morrison, his financial resources depleted as a result of countless, somewhat frivolous lawsuits,

certainly could not afford to engage a lawyer. If all of the Canadian Charter of Rights had been explained

to him he would most certainly have looked for a lawyer on a pro bono basis.

Did the court assume Robert Lundberg was his lawyer? It should have been apparent he was not. He

may have been acting as “a legal advisor” but nothing more. I believe the system should have required

that Mr. Morrison had a lawyer ready and willing to fight for his client. Any expenses incurred during

this questionable criminal proceeding probably should be paid by the Province.

Did the Crown Prosecutor or whoever supervises pending cases, review the witness recant statement

during the time Mr. Morrison was required to visit a probation officer with bi-weekly regularity? If not,

why not?

When the case collapsed and the judge told Mr. Morrison the record would be expunged, did the police

move to arrest Josef Kollmann for filing a malicious fabricated charge? If not, why not?

Kollmann should have been held to account for his actions and the damage Mr. Morrison experienced as a

consequence of them. There has to be the basis for a sizeable defamation suit here.

Did the RCMP investigate the anonymous letter addressed to School District 19, alleging John Morrison

was a sexual predator? This was obviously a factor in him not being considered for a job opening at the

school. Did the police interview Roger and Stefania Morrison or Patricia Campbell? If not, why not?

When the RCMP was given a copy of a letter claimed by John Morrison to be a forgery, but presented in

court on no less than three occasions by Constance Brothers, did they interview Patricia Campbell, Roger

and Stefania Morrison, or did they, as Sergeant Grabinsky is reported as having said, dismiss the matter

because it was a copy and couldn’t be authenticated by a handwriting analysis? If the three named here

weren’t interviewed, why not?

Was Grabinsky’s decision correct or could have a handwriting analysis still have been performed by an

expert using the copies?

When Mrs. Leah Duthie reported a statement made to her and her husband at the Nomad Café by Josef

Kollmann, to Constable Gordon Just, was it investigated to the extent that Kollmann was interviewed

about what exactly he meant?

When John Morrison reported charges to Constable Trent Eresman of perjury made by Stefania Morrison

at a court hearing on the estate matter relating to his mother’s Will, were they investigated and what

action was taken? If it was not investigated, why not?

Why does the court bother to have participants swear to tell the truth when they don’t follow up perjury

charges, as has apparently happened in this case?

Constance Brothers, as an officer of the court, would have known that John Morrison could not proceed

with probate while she retained Violet Morrison’s Will. Why, during the time she had that document, did

she continue to send demanding letters, accusing him of inaction in the probate matter?

There has only been one winner in this whole mess and that is certainly not John Morrison. In the space

of a few years he lost his mother, his brother, his marriage, his professional career, whatever money he

had, and for a time, his reputation. What will follow is a rushed sale of his mother’s house to satisfy the

Public Guardian Trustee’s timetable as laid down by Judge Donegan.

Now, a growing list of financial claims seem to be aimed at whittling his proceeds from the sale down to

a pittance.

Three marriages were destroyed during this short saga. One had lasted 18 years, another about two years

and the third around one month. All three had one thing in common. Go figure what that was. It’s not

hard.

This has all the ingredients for a book, a TV program, maybe even a movie.

Possibly some sharp investigative writer will come along and do something with it. I hope so. John

Morrison has retained all the documents backing the story. This summary is not subjected to copyright.

When I began this document I tried to make it free of bias. That is hard when you are dealing with your

own flesh and blood. John and Roger’s mother and mine, were sisters. I avoided including anything that

could not be backed up as factual.

I named it A Search for Justice. Did John Morrison succeed in finding justice? I am afraid he didn’t. It

wasn’t to be found with the RCMP, the coroner or the courts.

When Violet and her husband arrived with their son, John, and settled in Revelstoke, they decided to

make it home. It was a long way from their native Ireland but they had been encouraged to come by a

legendary Revelstoke pioneer, Andy Kitson.

John senior, worked as a house-painter. Violet as a retail clerk for 42 years in the Co-op. They saved

their money and bought a home for their kids.

Their two sons went to school and were raised In Revelstoke.

To John, the last surviving member of a small tight-knit family, let me say I am truly sorry for what you

have been put through.

READER’S GUIDE

ANDERSON, Brad, lawyer, Public Guardian and Trustee. BEECH, Jack, Doctor, Sicamous.

BEECH, Pamela, Wife of Dr. Beech.

BOKIS, Uldis, realtor. BOTTONE, Kathy, 3rd wife of Roger Morrison.

BROTHERS, Constance, Stefania Morrison’s lawyer.

CAMPBELL, Patricia, friend of Roger Morrison. CAMPBELL, Tom, friend of Roger Morrison.

CLANCY, Natalie, CBC TV.

COOPER, Anne, School superintendent. DANIELS, Alice, Seniors’ Advocacy Group, Revelstoke.

DAWS, Andy, school maintenance superintendent.

DONEGAN, S., Judge. DOLLIVER, John, school maintenance worker.

DYBVIG, Patricia, Roger Morrison’s 2nd wife.

DYCK, Philip, lawyer, Stefania Morrison divorce filing. DUTHIE, Leah, Morrison’s friend.

EWAN, Glen, QC, lawyer, Golden.

ERESMAN, Trent, RCMP constable, Revelstoke. FUOCO, Grant, friend of Roger Morrison.

GRABINSKY, Kurt, RCMP staff sergeant, Revelstoke.

HALL, Kim, RCMP sergeant, Revelstoke.

HOOKER, Mike, school superintendent.

JUST, Gordon, RCMP constable, Revelstoke.

KOLLMANN, Josef, son of Stefania Morrison. LENTINI, Frank, friend of Roger Morrison.

LENTINI, Marie, Frank Lentini’s mother. LOADER, Timothy, community coroner, Golden.

LUNDBERG, Robert, John Morrison’s legal advisor.

MALTBY, Clara, Revelstoke School office manager. MARZINZIK, Larry, regional coroner, Kelowna.

McKNIGHT, Sydney, doctor, Revelstoke.

McLEAN, Jennifer, RCMP constable, Revelstoke. McLINTOCK, Barbara, coroner’s office

MOORE, Catherine, owner of the Safari Salon..

MORRISON, John, brother of Roger. MORRISON, Violet, mother of John and Roger.

MORRISON, Roger, doctor, brother of John.

MORRISON, Shelly Isfeld, wife of John Morrison. MORRISON, Stefania Iaccino, 4th wife of Roger Morrison

OLSON, Jacquie, RCMP staff-sergeant, Revelstoke.

SCHURDEVIN, Stevie, Josef Kollmann’s girlfriend. SEGERS, David, RCMP constable arrested John Morrison.

SEKELA, Michael, RCMP chief superintendent, Kelowna.

SHARP, Constable, RCMP, Revelstoke. SMAWLEY, Dan, RCMP sergeant, Kelowna.

STEPHANY, Kathleen, former B.C. coroner.

SULZ, Gary, undertaker.

TAKAHASHI, M., Judge.

TAYLOR, Rhonda, Revelstoke Social Services.

WADLER, Gary, doctor, professor, NYU, New York. WONG, Cindy, administrator, Public Trustee.