Monsters are real. Take Richard Charles Joyce of Kingston, Ont., for example.
With over 55 million downloads, Canadian True Crime is Canada's top independent podcast and #5 overall Canadian podcast of 2023, according to Apple Podcasts. Podcast host Christy Lee traveled to Kingston on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at the invitation of Keri Kehoe, for a preview screening of the next episode.
Originally from Australia but living in Canada for over 10 years, Lee founded the podcast as a personal passion project in 2016 and is the primary researcher, writer and producer. She was contacted by Kehoe last year as she was preparing a victim impact statement for the parole hearing of Richard Charles Joyce, the man who sexually assaulted her as a child in 1990. Two episodes of her podcast grew out of Kehoe's story.
Lee joined us this week for a preview of episode 151 of the podcast. Episode 150, “The Nozzle Gasbar Murders,'' was released last month and is the first of a two-part episode that depicts four related, hugely violent crimes committed by Joyce.
Joyce and his partner were convicted of torturing and murdering Yvonne Rouleau in 1991 at a gas bar in downtown Kingston. After Joyce spent years in prison, DNA testing revealed that he was also a serial child rapist.
As for how Lee and Kehoe's relationship came about, Kehoe had a friend who was a big fan of Lee's podcast, and that friend contacted Lee on Kehoe's behalf, which featured The Crimes of Richard Joyce. He said he asked if he wanted to. To raise awareness among more people. Kehoe wants all victims who have not yet come forward to know that it's not too late to come forward. Her search has included some members of the Rouleau family and the families of other child victims of Joyce, whose names are still protected by a publication ban.
Lee said this is not the first time he has worked with crime victims, but this time was different.
“This is the first time I have been asked to participate in a case like this involving survivors of childhood abduction and sexual assault,” she said.
Lee, the mother of two children aged 9 and 11 (the same age as the three children known to have been abducted and sexually assaulted by Joyce), said it would be a difficult conversation. She said she felt anxious because she knew she was dying, but “I really couldn't talk.'' We must not ignore Kelly's strength and her determination and all of the organizing and advocacy work she has done. ”
Lee did all the background research with Kehoe's help. Then she started working on the case full time just before Christmas. As a result, she said, “I'm part of Team Kelly.”
Ms. Kingstonist contacted the podcaster and her subject by phone while they were in a car together. At just this point in the interview, Ms. Kehoe said that in the summer of 1990, Richard Joyce arrived on the street where she was dropped off after kidnapping and sexually assaulting the then-11-year-old girl.
“This is the road he took me…. Where he dropped me off…he suddenly parked on the right…dropped me off on that corner. As you can see, on this road, I It ran along the backs of houses,” Kehoe explained, a tone of tension dominating the conversation.
Mr. Kehoe remembered feeling the surprised and perplexed looks of his neighbors as he ran through, looking disheveled. “I jumped over the fence here. It's just a little bit behind my townhouse.”
“Wow, did you understand?” a visibly moved Lee asked a reporter by phone.
Mr Lee said that after reviewing all the material provided and the Parole Board hearing, “I believe that Richard Charles Joyce is an extremely dangerous man.” It's calculated. ” She sympathizes with Kehoe's claims that parole officials falsely claimed that Joyce was considered a model prisoner and was given a position of trust.
Kehoe considers this to be a dereliction of duty and is pursuing it with the Parole Board of Canada.
Ms Lee said that in her opinion, Joyce had “evaded psychiatric reports diagnosing him with pedophilic disorder and possibly antisocial personality disorder, also known as psychopathy”. He claims that he did this because of depression. ”
“I've handled quite a few cases and episodes on the victim side, and this is not unusual,” Lee said, adding:[Victims are] Everyone is treated the same way in their journey through the criminal justice system. ”
She concluded with her thoughts on the impact of the criminal justice system on victims. “We all know that this system was created for criminals. There is no place for victims and survivors. They are often treated like an afterthought.”
Episode 151 of Canadian True Crime will air on Friday, February 16th. 202
