Clifford Olson Case

Criminal History

Born 1 January 1940, in Vancouver, Clifford Robert Olson Jr. engaged in petty theft, bullying and vandalism as a child. He dropped out of school after completing Grade 8 and was incarcerated at age 17 for breaking and entering. A repeat offender, Olson was often in trouble with the law, serving sentences for theft, fraud and burglary. CBC News reported that Olson “had spent all but five years of his adult life in prison” and that “his fellow inmates had tried to kill him.” A smooth-talking con artist who was constantly on the move, Olson committed countless crimes during periods of freedom, including sexual offences against children.

Murders

By 1980, Clifford Olson was working sporadically in construction and living in Coquitlam, BC, with his girlfriend, Joan Hale. On 17 November 1980, Olson strangled and stabbed 12-year-old Christine Weller of Surrey. Her body was found on Christmas Day. This marked the start of an eight-month rampage during which Olson killed 11 children — eight girls and three boys — in the Lower Mainland. His victims ranged from 9 to 18 years old.

Olson typically rented cars and enticed young people with promises of odd jobs, often at a construction company he claimed to own. Once a victim was inside his vehicle, he gave them alcohol spiked with the sedative chloral hydrate, leaving them disoriented and helpless. Olson then drove his incapacitated victims to isolated locations where he tortured, sexually assaulted and murdered them.

Olson and Joan Hale had a son in April 1981 and were married the following month, even as Olson stalked and murdered children. Olson committed his crimes in different jurisdictions. This made it difficult for police to establish links between his crimes. He continued to engage in fraud, theft and sexual crimes that didn’t involve murder.

Arrest and Plea Bargain

Placed under police surveillance, Clifford Olson was arrested on 12 August 1981, after picking up two young women who were hitchhiking and driving them to a remote stretch of Vancouver Island. In custody, Olson confessed to multiple murders. Within weeks, he was charged with nine counts of first degree murder. He entered guilty pleas to all the charges.

However, it was later revealed that the attorney general of BC had agreed to a proposal by Olson that $100,000 be held in trust for Olson's wife and infant son. In return, Olson helped find seven missing bodies and provided information on four other bodies already discovered.

Reports of the deal sparked bitter controversy across the country over the ethics of a criminal benefiting from his crimes and over police payment for information. The debate raised questions about the propriety of deals made with any criminal, including payment for information and withdrawal of charges in return for information or evidence. It has been argued that such inducements could lead to the creation of "professional witnesses" who are involved in crimes and yet benefit from them.

The Supreme Court of Canada held in Palmer v. The Queen (1979) that payment for evidence was legal. But there had been a growing demand for attorneys general to establish ethical guidelines for such payment. In the context of civil law, the payment to Olson's wife and son was challenged by the families of Olson's victims, who argued that they were entitled to compensation for the deaths of their children. Justice Trainor of the British Columbia Supreme Court decided that the families of the victims were entitled to claim against the money paid in trust to Olson's wife and son. But this decision was reversed by the BC Court of Appeal, and a later application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was dismissed.

Guilty Plea and Sentencing

Olson’s trial began in Vancouver on 11 January 1982. Olson initially changed his plea to not guilty but quickly changed it back (to spare the families of his victims further torment, claimed his lawyer). Olson pled guilty to 11 counts of first-degree murder. He received a life sentence for each count. 

Parole Applications and Pension Controversy

In August 1997, Olson applied for an early parole hearing under the so-called “faint hope” clause in the Criminal Code. The clause enabled convicts to make parole requests after serving 15 years. Olson’s bid was rejected, as were subsequent parole applications.

Olson caused more outrage in 2010 when it was reported that he was collecting Old Age Security (OAS) and Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments while in prison. In response, the federal government ended OAS payments to incarcerated criminals. It also repealed the “faint hope” clause for murderers.

Psychopathy

Stanley Semrau, a forensic psychiatrist who interviewed Olson in prison, concluded that he was an anti-social, narcissistic psychopath. Semrau described Olson as a “master manipulator” who “can kill, not out of anger or bitterness, but in a lighthearted way, as a sport.” Semrau said that Olson scored 38 out of 40 on the Hare checklist, a clinical scale that assesses psychopaths. It was the highest score Semrau had recorded in hundreds of cases. In 2006, a National Parole Board member described Olson as a “sexual sadist” who would likely kill again if he had the chance.

Death

Clifford Olson developed cancer while held at a maximum-security prison in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec. He died in hospital on 30 September 2011 at age 71.