Noel Winters: A Chilling Tale of Murder

 

In the year 1983, Saint John, New Brunswick had some terrible news. There had been a grisly murder like that you'd find in a horror movie, had plagued their town. Its gruesome details would never be forgotten. It all started with a man named, Noel Winters. 

Some people viewed Noel as a polite and well-mannered kid, while others described him much differently. The problem was that Noel was constantly in trouble. By the time that Noel entered Junior High, he'd get into many violent fights. There was this one time that Noel and a friend stopped two bullies from picking on some kids. However, Noel gave the bullies a brutal and violent beating, and worst of it was, Noel enjoyed the feeling it gave him. It was from that moment on that Noel developed a sense of macho tough guy attitude, and this quality remained with him until the end.

The older Noel got the more he'd drink alcohol, and more of his dark side would show. Noel was known for random and violent rages and outbursts. He'd trash anything around him while he'd be in these wild moods. The people who knew Noel well, learned very quickly that he was someone not to mess with.

It was this and the fact that Noel enjoyed beating on people that led him into a career that circled around Drugs. This was how Noel made connections with the bikers gangs Oden's Wrath and Hells Angels, as well as connections to a drug cartel located in Montreal. Everyone knew you just didn't mess with Noel.

The First Murders

 Noel killed Jack McLaughlin, Maria Hillebrand, and their dog Buster. A few stories are circulating as to why he did this. The first story is that Jack killed another friend of Noel's for raping his girlfriend. Noel hadn't known there was a connection until Jack bragged about it. He snapped, killed Jack, Maria for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and then killed the dog. The second story is that Jack might be a hired killer who was sent to New Brunswick to kill Noel because he hadn't paid for a drug shipment, but instead found himself, his girlfriend, and their dog buried in the backyard. 

The Second Murders

A few months later, on February 11th, Noel was drinking with James Keenan and James Keenan Jr. As the night went on Noel became more and more paranoid about what was laying in his backyard. He somehow convinced himself that these two men knew about the bodies and were going to turn him in. Eventually, this paranoia led to Noel fighting with James Keenan Jr. Eventually Noel snapped, and brutally murdered both men, Noel's girlfriend Mary Elizabeth Clark was also in the cottage. He ordered her to get him a 9-mm Luger pistol, which he used to kill the son. Before he killed the father with a shotgun. 

Disposal 

On March 19th, in Saint John, Judge William Hoyt sentenced Noel Winters to life for second-degree murder. After police had unearthed the bodies of Jack McLaughlin and Maria Hillebrand, they were unable to question Noel about those murders. In fact, they would be unable to question him ever again. It was less than 24 hours after police had found those bodies and prison guards went to check on Noel, only to discover he had hung himself with a bedsheet. 

If you are lucky enough to get your hands on a copy of Bodies in the Backyard by Brian O'Neill you might be looking for a while. The rare book, is expensive to get and even harder to find. 

There is also the 2014 movie Black Fly, which is loosely based on these events.