Fifty years ago late this evening, Dr Robert Henry
MacLauchlan and his third wife Margaret Ann (the former Margaret Ann Cunningham
and before that the former Margaret
Ann Herring) were murdered in their modest New Westminster bungalow at 912
Fifth Street. The execution was carried out in what newspapers of the day
described as an execution Mafia style – a bullet in the face for each of
them, followed similarly by one in the abdomen.
The murders followed their arrest on the previous December 22nd
after investigation by a drug squad composed of members of the New Westminster,
Vancouver and Royal Canadian Mounted Police forces during which heroin worth
$200,000 was discovered in their possession. At the time, this was enough to
buy about twenty houses in New Westminster. Their arrest was a cause celebre in New Westminster, given
that previously MacLauchlan had been regarded as a harmless retired Albertan doctor and
Margaret Ann as a modest, quiet and extremely capable teacher at Woodlands
School for the Handicapped.
The MacLauchlans’ murder came but a few days before their
trial was to start. Ken McIntosh and I have spent a few years researching these
murders, for which no one was ever arrested or charged. We now have a pretty
good idea who ordered the hit and have a fistful of possible suspects for the
shooter. We are aiming to publish the results of our research by the end of the
summer. Watch this space for further information.
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