Rage (28 page)
Authors: Jerry Langton
Just as the Internet played a key role in determining the outcome of the Johnathon case, so it has already changed the Rengel case and perhaps endangered a law many disagree with. This successful public defiance of an unpopular law through the power of the Internet won’t go unnoticed among politicians, the judiciary and others who set policy. While it would take more than the found blogs of a star witness or the defiant postings of a few hundred grief-striken Torontonians to change public policy, what these cases show is that the Internet is a powerful force.
The era in which the Internet and other forms of electronic communication are commonplace and vital is clearly well underway. But the era in which those forms of communication are recognized as being of the same value as more traditional media is just dawning. Those who fail to acknowledge it—as many did in the Johnathon case—do so at their own peril.
Plates
Johnathon Madden’s sixth-grade school portrait, taken shortly before he died. At 12 years old, Johnathon was about five feet tall and weighed about 100 pounds.
Kevin and Johnathon Madden lived with their mother, stepfather and another family member at 90 Dawes in Toronto’s east end. The boys shared a bedroom behind the window on the upper left.
The backyard of 90 Dawes. The window on the right is where Kevin confronted his stepfather, Ralston Champagnie, before letting him in the house.
Ashley and Pierre both attended Rosedale Heights School for the Arts.
After the murder, Kevin and Pierre hid and then spent the night in nearby Taylor Creek ravine. They emerged from the other end of the park the following morning.
Both Kevin and his friend Pierre were arrested at the corner of Coxwell Avenue and O’Connor Drive, not far from the murder scene. Identified by a concerned commuter, the boys were arrested by separate sets of police officers at about the same time.
The jeans that Ralston struggled out of were still in front of 90 Dawes the day after the murder. The police left them and other evidence in place until forensics experts finished their investigation of the crime scene.
The presence of police and emergency vehicles at 90 Dawes drew attention from people in the neighborhood, especially school-age children—many of whom were familiar with Johnathon, Kevin or both.
Kevin’s mugshot. After a year in custody, he appeared in court much trimmer, but his behavior was still very immature.
Tim’s mugshot. He was arrested at home while Kevin and Pierre were still hiding out.
Tim Ferriman was held at the Syl Apps Youth Centre in Oakville, Ontario, not far from Toronto. Kevin, however, was held at Sprucedale Youth Centre, a more secure facility about 90 miles away in Simcoe, Ontario.
Investigators found three potential murder weapons at 90 Dawes. Though much of the testimony involved the green-handled butcher knife (bottom), at least one expert claimed that the meat cleaver—with its distinctive notch—must have been involved.
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