The Shell Lake murders is the name of a

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

incident committed by Victor Ernest Hoffman (1946 – May 21, 2004) in Shell Lake,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada, during the early morning of August 15, 1967. Nine people, all members of the family of James Peterson, were shot in the head by a man who was later called "Canada's worst random mass murderer."“Canada's 'worst random mass murderer' dies,” ''

Regina Leader-Post The ''Regina Leader-Post'' is the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a member of the Postmedia Network. Founding The newspaper was first published as ''The Leader'' in 1883 by Nicholas Flood Davin, soon after Edgar Dewdney, Li ...

'', May 22, 2004.

Events

Victor Hoffman was 21 years old at the time of the murders and had been released from a

mental hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

just three weeks prior. On the morning of August 15, he entered the Petersons' farm armed with a .22-calibre Browning pump-action repeater rifle. He then proceeded to shoot all but one of the present members of the Peterson family, seven of them children, at close range around the four-room house. According to police, 28 shots were fired in total, of which 27 found their target. James Peterson was shot in the kitchen, while his wife Evelyn and her one-year-old baby were found in the backyard. The other six children were shot while sleeping in their bedrooms. Their ages ranged from 2 to 17 years old. Phyllis Peterson, then 4 years old, was the lone survivor of the massacre. She was sleeping under the bedclothes between her two sisters and was not noticed by Hoffman. However, Hoffman later declared that he spared her because "she had the face of an angel." The bodies were found by Wildrew Lang who was to help James Peterson with farm duties later that morning. He had to travel 6 km (3.7 mi) to the next telephone post before he could report the incident to the

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

. The police immediately started an extensive

manhunt Manhunt may refer to: Search processes * Manhunt (law enforcement), a search for a dangerous fugitive * Manhunt (military), a search for a high-value target by special operations forces or intelligence agencies Social organisations * Manhun ...

on the surroundings of the house.

Victims

* James Peterson, age 47 * Evelyn Peterson, 42 * Jean Peterson, 17 * Mary Peterson, 13 * Dorothy Peterson, 11 * Pearl Peterson, 9 * William Peterson, 5 * Colin Peterson, 2 * Larry Peterson, 1 The Peterson's oldest daughter, Kathy Peterson Hill (then age 19 or 20) was married and living in British Columbia at the time of the murders. She moved back to the Peterson farm and took custody of her youngest sister.

Aftermath

On August 19, 1967, Hoffman was arrested by the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...

without putting up resistance. He was found at his parents' home in Leask, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Shell Lake. After his arrest he told the police that he had fought the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

before the murders and described him as being "tall, black and having no genitals." He was remanded to a mental hospital in North Battleford where he was diagnosed with

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

. Hoffman was found not guilty by reason of insanity on non-

capital murder Capital murder was a statutory offence of aggravated murder in Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, which was later adopted as a legal provision to define certain forms of aggravated murder in the United States. In so ...

charges in February 1968. During the trial, Crown prosecutor

Serge Kujawa Serge Kujawa (November 25, 1924 – September 22, 2014) was a Canadian politician and lawyer. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 1995, as a New Democratic Party member for the constituency of Regina Albert South. ...

called Hoffman "the craziest man in Saskatchewan." He was put under the custody of the provincial Health Ministry and sent to a mental institution. He remained most of the time in an

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

-based institution until December 2001, when he was granted supervised access to the towns of

Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populati ...

, Port McNicoll and Midland in Ontario. This decision was not without controversy since the hospital was only required to inform the local police of Hoffman's release. Canadian journalist Peter Tadman wrote a book about the murders in 1992 and had the chance to interview Hoffman several times. According to Tadman, Hoffman felt no guilt about the murders and reported that he still saw the devil that compelled him to commit them. Hoffman died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

under custody on May 21, 2004.

In popular culture

Manitoba country musician Irvin Freese took an interest in the event, writing and recording "The Shell Lake Disaster" which was released as a 45 on

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

Eagle Records Eagle Records is a British record label, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment, itself a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. In the United Kingdom, the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the Un ...

label (ER-128) within a month of the event (September 1967). Lawyers threatened the label with a lawsuit, and the 45 was rapidly recalled. This rarity has recently been released on "The Best Of Eagle Records" on the Super Oldies label (2009).

Events

Victims

Aftermath

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading