Episode 601: The Strange Death of Cindy James

Cynthia Elizabeth Hack, known as Cindy James, had a childhood marked by instability and emotional distance due to her upbringing in a military family. Growing up in such an environment imposed significant challenges on her early life and shaped her role within her family.

Cindy grew up in a military family with a highly unstable living situation, frequently moving between locations

Born on June 12, 1944, in Oliver, British Columbia, Cindy was the second of six children. Her father, Otto, grew up in a rural farming family and reenlisted in the military, which led to a childhood filled with hardships and limited opportunities. The Hack family mourned the loss of several children, as none of the girls survived infancy until Cindy's birth, marking her survival as a momentous occasion for the family.

After reenlisting, Otto occupied a role teaching at military training facilities in Canada and Europe, necessitating frequent travel and moves for the family—sometimes with little notice. These frequent relocations and sometimes living apart meant Cindy struggled to make friends, often feeling lonely due to the transient lifestyle of growing up in a military family.

Cindy was frequently required to take on significant caretaking responsibilities for her younger siblings at a young age

The instability of Cindy's life led to her taking on more caretaking responsibilities than most children her age. She became protective of her siblings and was saddled with considerable household tasks. She felt strong discouragement from making friends outside the family, with limited opportunities to bring friends home or visit them. The result of this was Cindy playing a critical role in raising her siblings, which likely impeded her ability to form her own social connections.

Cindy's father, Otto, had an explosive temper and was frequently absent due to his military career

The home environment was tense and emotionally distant, partly due to Otto's military career and his frequent absences. Otto's strict and possibly harsh domestic atmosphere was influenced by military discipline, with his anger and ...

Cindy experienced a tumultuous and eventually catastrophic marriage to Roy Makepeace, which ended amid allegations of physical and sexual abuse.

Cindy and Roy had a whirlwind courtship, marrying after only one year of dating despite significant age and cultural differences

Cindy and Roy's fast-paced romance led them down the aisle in December of 1966 just after Cindy's graduation from Vancouver General Hospital's nursing program. Roy Makepeace, nearly 20 years her senior, had emigrated from South Africa, leaving behind a previous wife and a career as a psychiatrist. Despite the optimism surrounding their nuptials, the couple quickly fell into financial difficulties and their vastly different social priorities and interests led to frequent arguments. Ash Kelley emphasizes their short courtship of only a year, and Roy himself reflected that as they began to gain financial ground, their differing interests became more apparent, widening the gap in their relationship.

The couple quickly fell into financial difficulties and conflicting interests, leading to frequent arguments and a deterioration of the relationship

Roy's position as an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia brought some financial solvency, but fiscal security failed to improve their relationship. Cindy's brother Doug initially saw Roy as a "real neat guy," but as the marriage progressed, Roy's expectations for Cindy to engage socially in activities like skiing and swimming created further discord. She often left the house for hours to avoid confrontations with Roy, who criticized her about housekeeping. Their life together became defined by arguments and verbal fights.

Cindy accused Roy of physical and sexual abuse, though the validity of some of these claims is disputed

Cindy reached a breaking point after an incident wherein Roy struck her, a violent act she could not forgive. The relationship further descended into a maelstrom of mutual resentment. In her diary, Cindy detailed her perceptions of Roy's controlling nature and accused him of violent abuse and sexual assault, even alleging murder. While Roy admitted to hitting Cindy and showed signs of emotional ...

Over a period of nearly a decade, Cindy experienced a harrowing series of disturbances ranging from obscene calls to physical assaults, which she reported to the police with increasing urgency and fear.

Over a period of nearly 10 years, Cindy reported numerous incidents of stalking, vandalism, and physical assault to the police

Cindy's troubles began with obscene phone calls shortly after her separation from her husband, Roy. The anonymous caller used her first name and made references to sex and mutilation, suggesting a familiarity with her. As a result of these calls and a report of a prowler, Cindy stayed with friends out of concern for her safety. The harassment eventually escalated on the night of January 27th, when Cindy claimed she was attacked at her home by two men, one of whom choked her with a stocking until she became unconscious. She further reported that one of the attackers threatened to cut her open after inserting an object she believed to be a knife into her vagina.

Cindy received a series of disturbing, sexually explicit phone calls and threatening letters, some of which alluded to specific details of her personal life

Ash Kelley recounts that Cindy confronted many home break-ins that seemed designed to terrorize rather than cause substantial harm. Despite suspecting her estranged husband Roy, Cindy could not fathom him being responsible for such petty acts as pillowcase destruction. She endured not only menacing calls but also strange notes left on her porch with cryptic messages such as "us, you, love, want, rotten, love, silence, hot, sex."

On at least one occasion, Cindy reported a violent home invasion and sexual assault, though a medical examination ...

The Vancouver police faced significant challenges in substantiating Cindy's claims of harassment and attacks, primarily due to the absence of physical evidence.

Despite Cindy's persistent reports of harassment and attacks, the police investigation was hampered by a lack of physical evidence to substantiate her claims

Cindy reported obscene phone calls on October 12th, and again the next day after suspecting a prowler outside her residence. Even though two patrol cars searched the area, they found no signs of a prowler. Over the following days, more incidents were reported, including a rock thrown through Cindy's kitchen window and a break-in at her house. Despite these alarming reports, local police never verified Cindy’s story of harassment and stalking, and there seemed to be minimal active police protection, implying a lack of action due to insufficient evidence.

The responding officer, Pat McBride, became romantically involved with Cindy, raising questions about potential biases in the investigation

Intriguingly, Pat McBride, a responding officer, began a romantic relationship with Cindy. While he was initially sympathetic, even installing new deadbolts on Cindy’s doors, he noticed the lack of evidence or specificity in the continued harassment reports. McBride's relationship with Cindy raised concerns about a conflict of interest, as she was making regular reports of crimes. After Cindy ended the relationship, McBride kept a key to her house to check the mail when she was away, further complicating the police response to her situation.

Veteran detective David Bowyer Smith was highly skeptical of Cindy's accounts, noting the lack of forensic evidence and her unwillingness to consider her ex-husband as a suspect

Detective David Bowyer Smith, who was assigned to Cindy's case, was immediately suspicious due to the ...