The Canadian police investigation into the murders of Australian tourist Lucas Fowler, his US girlfriend Chynna Deese and botanist Leonard Dyck has found their ‘remorseless’ killers were on a path for ‘notoriety’ and willing to murder more people.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police held a briefing on Friday to release their findings in the tragic case.
Kam McLeod, 18, and Bryer Schmegelsky, 19, went on a murder rampage in northern British Columbia in July, first shooting dead Mr Fowler, 23, from Sydney, and Ms Deese, 24, from North Carolina.
The couple’s van had broken down and RCMP assistant commissioner Kevin Hackett said McLeod and Schmegelsky targeted them for ‘unknown reasons’.
Kam McLeod (left), 18, and Bryer Schmegelsky (right), 19, went on a murder rampage in northern British Columbia in July, first shooting dead Mr Fowler, 23, from Sydney, and Ms Deese, 24, from North Carolina
Schmegelsky and McLeod are accused of killing American backpacker Chynna Deese (right) and her Australian boyfriend Lucas Fowler (left), who were found dead on July 15
‘There’s no indication these were planned or predicted,’ Commissioner Hackett told reporters in Vancouver.
McLeod and Schmegelsky then shot and killed 64-year-old University of British Columbia botany lecturer Mr Dyck four days later, stole his Toyota RAV4, set their own Dodge pick-up truck on fire and sparked a nationwide manhunt.
The teenagers also stole Mr Dyck’s digital camera and recorded six videos and three still images as they drove more than 3,000km east to Gillam, Manitoba.
In the videos, the pair spoke of their suicide pact and their wishes to be cremated.
The RCMP will not be releasing the videos or photos on the camera as they believe it may inspire copycat killers and the belief the teenagers recorded the videos to add to their notoriety.
They showed no remorse in the recordings and did not reveal a motive but said they were willing to kill other people.
‘They were cold, they were remorseless,’ Commissioner Hackett said.
The briefing also heard how a witness pulled over on the side of the Alaska Highway to have a nap, before spotting the fugitives.
The witness noticed a vehicle pull up ahead of him, before one of the teens got out of the car brandishing a long firearm.
The body of botanist Leonard Dyck, 64, was discovered on July 19 on a BC highway a mile away from an abandoned and burning pick-up truck Schmegelsky and McLeod had been driving
He noticed the killer then went into the tree line on the side of the highway and emerged out of the bush holing the gun in a ‘hunting stance’ coming toward the witness’ car.
‘In the videos, the suspects took responsibility for all three murders. They indicated no remorse for their actions as well as their intentions to potentially kill others.’
Their bodies were found in bushland after deciding to end their lives, Commissioner Hackett said.
McLeod and Schmegelsky reportedly left their hometown of Port Alberni, British Columbia, on July 12 after telling family members they were going to search for work in Whitehorse, Yukon.
The killers ate a last meal of sardines, pork chops and oranges before setting alight the car they had driven across five Canadian provinces and covered more than 3,000 miles with police hot on their heels
Three days later on July 15 the bodies of Deese and Fowler, who were roadtripping across Canada, were found in a ditch beside their broken down 1986 Chevrolet van.
On July 19, Dyck was found dead on another BC highway some 300 miles away by Dease Lake.
The killers ate a last meal of sardines, pork chops and oranges before setting alight the car they had driven across five Canadian provinces and covered more than 3,000 miles with police hot on their heels.
Their final hide-out in a densely-wooded area was found after local tour guide Clint Sawchuk spotted a blue sleeping bag tangled in some willows in the Nelson River in August.