Full Transcript for Lights, Camera, Murder: The Guy Who Thought He Was Dexter

importantly, to yourself, that you're not just another forgettable nobody destined to die without leaving a mark on history. 00:05:48.480 --> 00:05:57.120 The psychological cornerstone of Mark's entire descent into murder wasn't trauma, wasn't abuse, wasn't some dark childhood secret. 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.360 It was just a television show. 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:06.399 This absolute specimen of human garbage watched a fictional character and thought, yes, that's me. 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:07.600 That's who I am. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:09.360 I'm Dexter Morgan. 00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:13.839 Never mind that Dexter was a fictional construct created by writers in a room. 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:20.399 Never mind that Dexter's code was a narrative device designed to make audiences root for a serial killer. 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:29.199 Never mind that real murder is messy, chaotic, brutal, and nothing like the choreographed elegance of premium cable television. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:34.160 Mark Twitchell believed he could emulate and surpass Dexter Morgan. 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:38.800 Mark believed he was smarter than everyone else, more creative, more capable. 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:44.959 He believed that his artistic vision would translate from failed filmmaking to successful murderer. 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:53.759 He genuinely, truly, pathetically believed he was smart enough, sophisticated enough, and special enough to get away with it. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:56.399 Spoiler alert, he wasn't. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:09.759 This case is a study in narcissistic delusion colliding headfirst with brutal reality, a man so consumed by his own fantasy of who he wanted to be that he couldn't see what he actually was. 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:15.199 A blumbling fool playing dress up in a serial killer costume several sizes too big. 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:26.319 Because while Mark was planning his perfect murders, while he was setting up his garage like a discount version of Dexter's Kill Room, he was also doing something spectacularly stupid. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:28.959 He was writing it all down. 00:07:29.759 --> 00:07:38.399 Mark Twitchell wrote a screenplay, a detailed, explicit screenplay about a filmmaker who lures victims to his garage and murders them. 00:07:38.879 --> 00:07:42.800 And listen, I have absolutely no problem with writers getting dark. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:47.120 True crime exists, horror exists, crime fiction exists. 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:59.839 But there is a difference between I'm writing a disturbing fictional story and let me document my murder plans in excruciating detail and save the files on my personal computer. 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:03.360 At some point, you have to look at your own work and go, you know what? 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:05.680 Maybe I don't need to print this. 00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:15.759 A screenplay that read less like fiction and more like a confession, documenting his methodology, his fantasies, his

plans. 00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:19.279 He wrote blog posts about his obsession with killing. 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:21.199 He kept detailed records. 00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:27.199 He documented everything because in his diseased mind, he wasn't just committing murders. 00:08:27.439 --> 00:08:28.800 He was creating art. 00:08:28.959 --> 00:08:44.480 The man who wanted to be the perfect killer, who studied Dexter like a graduate thesis, who believed he was too intelligent to be caught, left behind some of the most damning, idiotic, self-incriminating evidence in criminal justice history. 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:46.559 You wanted to be special, Mark. 00:08:46.799 --> 00:08:47.759 Congratulations. 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:49.600 You're a special kind of stupid. 00:08:49.840 --> 00:09:00.240 What follows is how a mediocre filmmaker traded his camera for a knife, his actors for victims, his failed career for a life sentence. 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:06.559 It's the story of real people who died because one narcissistic man child couldn't accept being ordinary. 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:16.480 It's how fantasy and reality collided in the Edmonton Garage, and how the perfect killer turned out to be one of the dumbest criminals to ever walk free. 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.840 Mark Twitchell wanted to create a masterpiece. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.320 Instead, he created a horror show. 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:24.480 And he was never the director. 00:09:24.799 --> 00:09:26.720 He was always the joke. 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:31.360 Mark didn't just plan murders, he wrote a fucking screenplay about them. 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:34.799 The document was titled SK Confessions. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:40.559 SK for serial killer, because subtlety wasn't Mark's strong suit. 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:45.279 Later presented in court as a profile of a serial killer. 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.240 This wasn't vague artistic exploration. 00:09:48.480 --> 00:10:00.159 This was a detailed, explicit, step-by-step instruction manual for murder, written in first person, documenting exactly how a filmmaker would lure victims to his garage and kill them. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:06.320 And Mark saved it on his laptop, with his name on it, in his possession. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:11.759 The screenplay described creating fake profiles on dating websites to lure victims. 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:17.039 It described the messages sent, the psychological manipulation used to build trust. 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:25.279 It described the garage layout, plastic sheeting, a game table for restraint, weapon positioning, lighting setup. 00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:33.600 It described the attack methodology, hockey mask, pipe weapon, element of surprise, immediate violence. 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:38.080 It described restraints, zip ties, duct tape, rope. 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:45.120 It described the murder weapon, a hunting knife with a serrated edge used to stab victims multiple times in the torso. 00:10:45.519 --> 00:10:56.080 It described dismemberment and body disposal, cutting bodies into pieces, placing them in garbage bags, attempting disposal in storm sewers, then dumping remains in fields when that failed. 00:10:56.240 --> 00:10:59.600 And Mark wrote all of this believing he was creating art. 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:06.399 He treated his victim communications like screenplay dialogue, revising and editing until he got the tone just right. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:09.279 He kept drafts, he saved every version. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:14.960 He documented his creative process like a filmmaker preparing for production. 00:11:15.279 --> 00:11:21.759 He also kept a blog where he wrote about his dark artistic journey and his dexter obsession. 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:27.440 Posts about feeling different from other people and understanding darkness in ways that others couldn't. 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:33.039 Posts about how true artists had to explore the darkest aspects of human nature. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:39.919 When read alongside his actual crimes, these became evidence of premeditation and psychological state. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:45.600 Mark's internet search history read like how to be a serial killer for demis. 00:11:46.399 --> 00:12:01.519 How to dispose of a human body, how long does it take for a body to decompose, luminal detection of blood, how to clean up a crime scene, forensic evidence in murder cases, serial killer psychology, Dexter Morgan kill room setup. 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:03.840 That one is probably my favorite. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:10.960 How to avoid leaving DNA evidence, body dismemberment techniques, storm sewer system Edmonton. 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:24.000 He searched for all of this on his personal computer using his own internet connection without any attempt to hide his digital footprint because Mark apparently didn't understand that the internet keeps receipts. 00:12:24.559 --> 00:12:32.159 He even took photographs of his garage workshop documenting his setup like a proud homeowner showing off renovation. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:37.840 Pictures of plastic sheeting, pictures of the game table, pictures of his weapons laid out like tools. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:45.600 He photographed his kill room and saved the images, thinking this was normal behavior for an artist documenting his creative process. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:48.559 Mark thought this screenplay was good writing. 00:12:48.799 --> 00:12:56.480 He thought this transparent, obvious, barely fictionalized confession was going to be his breakthrough, his masterpiece. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:00.080 The thing that would finally prove Mark Twitchell was a serious artist. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:05.279 In reality, it read like it was written by a teenager who just discovered the word edgy. 00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:06.960 It was pretentious. 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:12.480 Obviously, the fantasy of someone who had never done any of the things he was describing. 00:13:12.639

--> 00:13:14.799 But Mark wasn't creating fiction. 00:13:15.039 --> 00:13:17.039 He was creating evidence. 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:26.080 A 31-page document that would prove premeditation, demonstrate methodology, establish motive, and connect him directly to murder. 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:30.320 The single most damning piece of evidence in the entire case. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:31.919 And he wrote it himself. 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:36.559 Mark Twitchell was a predator who weaponized the internet and human loneliness. 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:39.679 His methodology was pathetically simple. 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:55.279 Create fake profiles on dating websites, pose as an attractive woman, craft personas designed to appeal to lonely men, send messages, build rapport, make promises, then suggest meeting in person, and always at a location that he controlled. 00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:01.120 Mark primarily used plenty of fish and other platforms popular in Edmonton in 2008. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:07.120 His fake profiles were Sheena and Jen, friendly, flirty, interested, and available. 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:16.320 The profiles featured stolen photographs of attractive women, complete with fabricated biographical details, designed to seem authentic. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:20.879 Interests that seemed genuine but generic enough to appeal broadly. 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:24.960 Movies, dining out, outdoor activities, travel, you know, the huge. 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:28.000 Mark didn't immediately suggest meeting. 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:29.519 He would be suspicious. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:30.960 He played the long game. 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:38.159 He chatted, he flirted, he asked questions about their jobs, their interests, their lives, and he pretended to care. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:44.320 He mirrored their communication styles, adapting his responses to match their energy and tone. 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:49.600 He created the illusion of real interest, the genuine connection forming between two people. 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:55.279 The effectiveness of this methodology relied on exploiting fundamental human psychology. 00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:04.080 Online dating in 2008 was still relatively new, and the platforms lacked the sophisticated verification and safety features that exist today. 00:15:04.320 --> 00:15:07.279 People were more trusting, less aware of the dangers. 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:09.519 And Mark understood something crucial. 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:11.919 Lonely people want to believe. 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:16.799 They want to believe someone finds them interesting and attractive, and somebody that's worth knowing. 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:19.759 That desire to believe overrides caution. 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:24.799 He would chat for days, sometimes a week or more, building false intimacy through messages. 00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:29.919 Then once he'd established what felt like genuine connection, he suggested meeting. 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:40.480 The location was always his garage, 5610, 86th Avenue, a space he'd rented for$120 a month, specifically for his project. 00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:42.000 The excuses varied. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:46.000 Maybe he was working on a film project nearby and could meet during a break. 00:15:46.240 --> 00:15:49.679 Maybe he had equipment to show them related to his filmmaking. 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:53.279 Maybe it was just convenient, close to where he was working. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:57.279 The destination was always the same, his kill room. 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:05.600 And men came because they were lonely, because they wanted connection, because they believed someone might actually be interested in them. 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:13.600 Because meeting someone from an online dating site at an unusual location didn't yet carry the red flags it does today. 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:15.200 Let's say their names. 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:20.159 Let's remember these were real human beings with lives, families, and futures. 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:25.679 Giles Tetrellant was 31 years old when he encountered Mark's predatory web. 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:34.879 He worked in the telecommunications industry, lived in Edmonton, Alberta, and like millions of people, was using online dating to try and find companionship. 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:40.799 On October 3rd, 2008, Giles received messages from Sheena on Plenty of Fish. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:42.399 She was interested in him. 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:43.600 She wanted to meet. 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:49.039 She suggested a garage in South Edmonton, where she was supposedly working on a project. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:54.000 Giles drove to the address on October 3rd, 2008, around 6 p.m. 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:56.399 The overhead door was partially open. 00:16:56.559 --> 00:17:09.359 He parked, he got out, he approached the entrance, probably feeling that mixture of nervousness and excitement that comes with meeting someone new, wondering if the connection they'd built online would translate in real life. 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:11.440 He called out, Sheena. 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:12.960 No response. 00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:17.440 Just the dim interior, fluorescent lights casting harsh shadows. 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:25.599 Giles stepped inside, looking around for the woman he'd been messaging, when a figure in a hockey mask rushed at him from behind a partition. 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:27.039 Mark swung a pipe. 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:31.359 It connected with Giles' head, a glancing blow that sent him stumbling. 00:17:31.519 --> 00:17:34.720 Blood began flowing immediately, warm and shocking. 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:36.480 But Giles didn't go down. 00:17:36.640 --> 00:17:37.599 He fought back. 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:40.079 He threw his hands up, protecting his head. 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:42.319 He backed away, creating distance. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:43.519 Mark swung again. 00:17:43.759 --> 00:17:47.440

Giles caught the pipe with his forearm, deflecting the worst of it. 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:49.200 They struggled for control. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:56.720 Two men grappling in a cramped garage, one fighting to kill, and one fighting to survive. 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:01.440 Giles was younger, stronger, and fighting for his fucking life. 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:06.240 He kicked, he clawed, he used every survival instinct he possessed. 00:18:06.400 --> 00:18:07.440 He saw an opening. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:11.440 Mark had overextended on a swing, lost his balance slightly. 00:18:11.599 --> 00:18:16.720 He bolted for the garage entrance, blood streaming down his face, heart hammering. 00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:20.720 Mark tried to grab him, but Giles was faster and more desperate. 00:18:20.960 --> 00:18:22.240 He made it to his car. 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:25.680 He got inside, he locked the doors with shaking bloody hands. 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:32.079 He started the engine and drove away, leaving Mark standing in the garage entrance watching his first victim escape. 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:34.480 Giles Tetralant escaped with his life. 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:39.839 He drove to a nearby gas station, tried to process what had just happened. 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:43.119 He was bleeding, terrified, and confused. 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:52.079 He didn't immediately go to police because he was embarrassed, unsure of how to explain what had happened, and uncertain if anyone would even believe him. 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:58.000 He cleaned himself up, went home, and tried to convince himself it was some kind of robbery gone wrong. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:05.920 It wasn't until a week later, after another attack made the news, that Giles came forward and told investigators what had happened to him. 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.240 Mark's first victim had escaped. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:11.119 His perfect methodology failed within minutes. 00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.759 The pipe didn't incapacitate. 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.640 The surprise attack didn't overwhelm. 00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:18.880 The kill room didn't contain. 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:24.480 Everything he'd planned fell apart the moment he encountered actual human resistance. 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:27.039 But narcissists don't learn from failure. 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:28.559 They rationalize it. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:31.119 They convince themselves next time we'll be different. 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:34.160 They adjust their methodology and try again. 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:40.319 Because a normal person might have looked at the situation and thought, holy shit, I almost killed somebody. 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:41.279 I need to stop. 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:45.680 Mark apparently looked at it and thought, okay, great, beta test complete. 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:47.119 Let's make some adjustments. 00:19:47.279 --> 00:19:50.079 One week later, Mark tried again. 00:19:50.319 --> 00:19:56.240 Johnny Altinger was 38 years old working as a pipeline equipment salesman in the oil industry. 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:59.359 He was the kind of person people genuinely liked. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.240 He was friendly, outgoing, reliable. 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:07.279 He had close friends, a tight-knit family, and a life he'd built through hard work. 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:13.519 His parents, Elfred and Jim Altinger, had raised Johnny and his siblings in a loving home. 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:18.880 Johnny was close with his brother and maintained strong friendships from childhood through adulthood. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:24.079 He was single, looking for companionship, hoping to find someone to share his life with. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:27.279 Like millions of people, he turned to online dating. 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:33.039 On October 10th, 2008, Johnny receives messages from Jen on Plenty of Fish. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:36.079 She was friendly, engaging, interested. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:38.319 They chatted over several days. 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:42.319 She seemed genuine, and they made plans to meet. 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:46.160 Jen suggested meeting at a location in South Edmonton. 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:47.680 She gave him the address. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:52.000 I'm sure by now you know, 5610 86th Avidail. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:53.039 The garage. 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:56.960 She explained she was working on a project there and could meet him during a break. 00:20:57.119 --> 00:20:59.279 Johnny did tell his friends about the date. 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:01.039 He was excited, hopeful. 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:05.920 He shared the address with them, a safety precaution, letting people know where he'd be. 00:21:06.079 --> 00:21:12.880 On October 10th, 2008, around 6 p.m., Johnny drove to the address in his red Mazda 3. 00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:20.319 He parked, he walked to the door, probably feeling nervous, excited, hopeful about meeting somebody new. 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.400 Mark attacked immediately. 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.799 The hockey mask, the pipe, sudden, overwhelming violence. 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:29.519 But this time, Mark hit harder. 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:32.160 This time, Mark was more aggressive. 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:35.839 This time, Mark had learned from his failure with Giles. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:42.559 He'd positioned himself better, created less room for escape, and struck with more force and precision. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:44.240 Johnny did fight back. 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:51.119 Every victim fights back when confronted with death, but Mark had the advantage of surprise, position, and preparation. 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:52.799 The struggle was brutal. 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:58.880 Johnny was hit multiple times with the pipe, struck in the head and body, knocked to the ground. 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:04.559 Then Mark Used the knife, the hunting knife he'd purchased specifically for this. 00:22:04.880 -->

00:22:12.160 He stabbed Johnny multiple times in the torso, in vital organs, and in places that would cause maximum damage. 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:14.720 Johnny Altinger died in that garage. 00:22:14.880 --> 00:22:15.920 He died fighting. 00:22:16.079 --> 00:22:17.279 He died terrified. 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:22.240 He died because Mark Twitchell had practiced on Giles Tetralon and gotten better at killing. 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:25.680 When Johnny didn't come home that night, his friends became concerned. 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:29.759 When he didn't answer his phone on October 11th, they became worried. 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:34.640 And when he didn't show up for work on October 13th, Johnny was a reliable man. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:37.359 He didn't miss work without calling. 00:22:37.519 --> 00:22:39.359 They knew something was wrong. 00:22:39.599 --> 00:22:42.480 Johnny's friends contacted each other, comparing notes. 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:48.880 He'd told them about the date, he'd shared the address, they had the location where he was last seen. 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:55.759 And on October 18th, 2008, Johnny's friends filed a missing persons report with Edmonton Police Service. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:23:03.839 They provided everything: the dating profile he'd been messaging, the address where he had gone, the timeline of his disappearance. 00:23:04.079 --> 00:23:08.319 Detective Mark Anstey of the Homicide Unit took the case. 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:11.119 The circumstances were immediately suspicious. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:15.440 A man goes to meet someone from an online dating profile and vanishes. 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:19.200 The profile turns out to be fake, the photo stolen. 00:23:19.440 --> 00:23:21.519 The person non-existent. 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:24.880 The address is a rented garage in an industrial area. 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.839 Every detail screamed foul play. 00:23:28.240 --> 00:23:32.720 On October 19th, 2008, the investigation took a crucial turn. 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:37.119 Giles Tetrelant saw news coverage of Johnny Altinger's disappearance. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:44.319 He saw the address, 5610, 86th Avenue, the same address where he'd been attacked one week earlier. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:52.240 Giles immediately contacted police and told them everything: the fake profiles, the messages, the attack, and his escape. 00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:54.880 Suddenly, investigators had a pattern. 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:01.680 Two men, both lured through fake dating profiles, both directed to the same location, and both attacked. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:04.079 One escaped, one vanished. 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:06.079 This wasn't a random crime. 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:11.599 This was a predator with a methodology, a hunting ground, and a kill room. 00:24:11.839 --> 00:24:14.079 The investigation moved with urgency. 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:22.880 Police obtained records from plenty of fish, traced the fake profiles, identified the IP address addresses used to create them. 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:27.920 They obtained rental records for the garage, identified Mark Twitchell as the tenant. 00:24:28.079 --> 00:24:33.839 They found Johnny's abandoned Mazda 3 several blocks from the garage, and they obtained search warrants. 00:24:34.000 --> 00:24:39.039 Johnny's family waited for news, hoping against hope that he'd be found alive. 00:24:39.279 --> 00:24:48.000 His parents, his brother, his friends, all of them clinging to the possibility that this was a misunderstanding, that Johnny would come home. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:53.759 But as the investigation progressed, as evidence mounted, that hope faded. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:56.559 These men weren't characters in Mark's screenplay. 00:24:56.720 --> 00:25:01.119 They were human beings with families, friends, lives, and futures. 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:05.519 Johnny Altinger had a career and people loved him deeply. 00:25:05.680 --> 00:25:11.599 His disappearance devastated his family, left a hole in his friends' lives that would never be filled. 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:14.319 Giles Tetrelant survived. 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:19.920 But he carries the trauma of that attack, the knowledge that he barely escaped with his life. 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:30.240 Mark looked at their desire for connection, that fundamentally human desire to be known, to be cared for, to find companionship, and turned it into a weapon. 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:32.400 He exploited their loneliness. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:38.799 He punished them for being trusting, for being open, for being willing to believe in human connection. 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:48.640 There was no artistry in what he did, no sophistication, only cruelty, manipulation, and exploitation of human vulnerability. 00:25:48.960 --> 00:26:00.480 5610 86th Avenue in Edmonton, Alberta, a nondescript garage bay in a light industrial area, the kind of space mechanics used to work on cars. 00:26:00.720 --> 00:26:06.559 This was Mark's masterpiece, the kill room he'd written about so lovingly in his screenplay. 00:26:06.799 --> 00:26:21.440 When police entered that garage on October 31st, 2008, after Johnny's friends had reported him missing, and after they traced his last location to this address, they found Mark's reality, and it was nothing like his fantasy. 00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:31.519 The garage was approximately 20 feet by 20 feet, had concrete floors, concrete walls, a single overhead door, and one side entrance. 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:33.279 Had fluorescent lighting. 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:39.599 It was nothing elegant, nothing sophisticated, just a dirty cold space that smelled like oil and death. 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:45.039 Detective Mark Anstey of the Edmonton Police Service Homicide Unit was the lead investigator. 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:51.519 When he first entered that garage, he knew immediately they were looking at a homicide scene. 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:53.200 The smell hit first.

00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:59.279 It was a combination of bleach, industrial cleaner, and something organic and wrong underneath. 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:00.720 Death has a smell. 00:27:01.039 --> 00:27:02.880 Decomposition has a smell. 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:06.160 No amount of cleaning products can fully mask it. 00:27:06.319 --> 00:27:12.240 The forensic team began documentation at 1430 hours on October 31st. 00:27:12.480 --> 00:27:13.759 Photography first. 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:19.599 Hundreds of photographs from every angle, establishing the scene before anything was touched or moved. 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:28.559 Video documentation, measurements, sketches, creating a permanent record of exactly what Mark Twitchell's artistic vision looked like in reality. 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:36.000 Police found cheap plastic sheeting, the kind you buy at Home Depot for 20 bucks, haphazardly taped to portions of walls and floor. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:46.319 Not pristine, carefully installed plastic wrap, not a seamless professional setup, just poorly installed plastic with gaps and tears and sections that had come loose. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:50.720 Some sections had been removed entirely, rolled up and stuffed in garbage bags. 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:53.119 It looked exactly like what it was. 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:56.480 An amateur copying something he'd seen on television. 00:27:56.720 --> 00:28:01.519 In the center sat a game table, not a purpose-built kill table. 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:06.000 A fucking game table, the kind you'd find in someone's basement for poker. 00:28:06.240 --> 00:28:09.519 Mark had decided this would serve as his processing table. 00:28:09.759 --> 00:28:13.119 It had restraints, zip ties, rope, duct tape. 00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:17.599 There were bloodstains on the table that Mark had tried to clean but didn't fully remove. 00:28:17.759 --> 00:28:23.839 Blood that soaked into the wood grain, into crevices, into places no amount of bleach could reach. 00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:30.720 Forensic identification specialist Constable Dwayne Erickson conducted the luminol testing. 00:28:30.799 --> 00:28:38.240 When they turned off the lights and sprayed luminol across the garage surfaces, the entire space lit up like a consolation of violence. 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:43.599 Blood spatter on the walls cast off patterns indicating a weapon being swung repeatedly. 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:52.079 The angle and distribution of spatter told forensic analysts the victim had been on or near the game table when struck. 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:56.480 Medium velocity impact spatter consistent with blunt force trauma. 00:28:56.720 --> 00:29:01.279 High velocity missed patterns consistent with arterial spurring from the stab. 00:29:01.440 --> 00:29:05.920 The ceiling showed transfer patterns, blood that had been flung upward from a weapon in motion. 00:29:06.079 --> 00:29:16.000 Forensic analysts determined the weapon had been swung with significant force multiple times, creating overlapping spatter patterns that indicated a sustained violent attack. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:18.240 The concrete floor was the most damning. 00:29:18.400 --> 00:29:22.480 Despite Mark's plastic sheeting, blood had seeped through gaps and tears. 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:25.119 It had pooled in low spots in the concrete. 00:29:25.279 --> 00:29:29.599 It had soaked into the porous surface, creating stains that went millimeters deep. 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:36.079 Luminol revealed blood trails, drag marks for something human size had been pulled from the game table towards the side door. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:41.920 Forensic analysts collected 47 separate blood samples from various locations throughout the garage. 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:46.559 DNA analysts confirmed that the blood belonged to Johnny Altinger. 00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:56.559 His DNA was everywhere, on the table, on the floor, the walls, tools, on plastic sheeting, cleaning supplies Mark had used. 00:29:57.039 --> 00:30:04.400 Police found weapons scattered throughout the space, a hockey mask, the kind Jason Voorhees wears in Friday the 13th movies. 00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:09.359 Mark had actually worn this during his attacks, like he was playing dress up as a movie villain. 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:15.599 The mask had blood spatter on the interior surface and DNA evidence linking it to both the attacker and the victim. 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:21.920 A metal pipe, approximately 18 inches long with blood and tissue residue and the threading on the on one end. 00:30:22.079 --> 00:30:28.480 This was the weapon used in the initial attack, the blunt force trauma that had incapacitated Johnny Altinger. 00:30:28.960 --> 00:30:33.839 Forensic analysts found Johnny's blood and hair embedded in the metal. 00:30:34.079 --> 00:30:42.480 Multiple knives, including a hunting knife with a serrated edge, blood in the serrations that DNA testing linked to Johnny. 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:45.519 There was a fillet knife, a utility knife. 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:47.680 None of these were surgical instruments. 00:30:47.839 --> 00:30:52.720 These were weapons grabbed without understanding the first thing about killing efficiently. 00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:58.240 A hacksaw with biological material on the blade, bone fragments, tissue. 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:01.279 This was the tool that Marked used for dismemberment. 00:31:01.440 --> 00:31:05.680 A hardware store hacksaw, the kind used for cutting PVC pipe. 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:12.799 Forensic analysts found microscopic bone fragments and tissue samples that DNA testing confirmed belonged to Johnny. 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:17.200 This is where Mark's fantasy completely collapsed into brutal, ugly reality. 00:31:17.359 --> 00:31:23.759 Police found garbage bags containing remains, pieces of Johnny that Mark had attempted to dispose of. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:28.960 The dismemberment had been executed with all of the skill of a butcher having a

seizure. 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:35.359 There was uneven cuts, hesitation marks, evidence of multiple attempts to cut through bone and joint. 00:31:35.519 --> 00:31:36.960 Forensic pathologist Dr. 00:31:37.039 --> 00:31:41.200 Bernard Bannock conducted the examination of remains. 00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:44.000 His report documented the violence. 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:54.400 Multiple stab wounds to the torso, blunt force trauma to the head, evidence of restraint marks on wrists and ankles, defensive wounds on hands and forearms showing Johnny had fought back. 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:57.279 The dismemberment showed no anatomical knowledge. 00:31:57.599 --> 00:32:01.920 Mark hadn't cut at joints or followed any logical pattern. 00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:05.200 He'd simply sawed through the bone wherever seemed easiest. 00:32:05.599 --> 00:32:09.440 The cuts were ragged, uneven, showing multiple false starts. 00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:15.680 Some bones showed saw marks from three or four different angles where Mark had tried and failed to cut through. 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:16.079 Dr. 00:32:16.160 --> 00:32:24.880 Bannock's report estimated the dismemberment would have taken hours, exhausting, physically demanding hours of sawing through bone and tissue. 00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:28.640 Mark's screenplay had glossed over this reality. 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:33.200 Television makes it look clean, quick, and almost surgical. 00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:39.920 The reality is brutal, messy, and requires far more physical strength and stomach than Mark possessed. 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:54.240 Police found Johnny Altinger's personal effects, his wallet containing his driver's license, credit cards, and$60 in cash, his car keys, keys to the Red Mazda 3 that had been found abandoned several blocks away, and his cell phone. 00:32:54.400 --> 00:32:56.720 The cell phone was crucial evidence. 00:32:57.039 --> 00:32:58.160 Mark had kept it. 00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:08.480 He used it to send text messages to Johnny's friends and family after the murder, trying to create the illusion that Johnny was still alive and that he'd simply decided to leave town for a while. 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:18.000 Forensic analysis of the phone revealed text messages sent on October 11th and 12th after Johnny was already dead, claiming he'd met a woman and was going away for a while. 00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:22.400 The messages were written in a style that didn't match Johnny's normal texting patterns. 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.680 They were too formal, too explanatory. 00:33:25.839 --> 00:33:31.119 They read more like someone trying to sound like Johnny rather than actually being Johnny. 00:33:31.519 --> 00:33:40.640 Cell Tower data placed the phone at Mark's residence when these messages were sent, not at Johnny's apartment, not anywhere Johnny would logically be. 00:33:40.880 --> 00:33:45.839 The digital evidence created a timeline that destroyed any possibility of Mark's innocence. 00:33:46.160 -->

00:33:59.599 And there was the laptop, Mark's laptop, sitting on the workbench in the garage, not hidden, not encrypted, not protected in any way, just sitting there, containing the entire digital record of his crimes. 00:33:59.839 --> 00:34:26.639 When forensic computer analyst Constable Jeff Ellishuk examined the laptop, he found everything, the screenplay, quote, House of Cards, describing in detail a murder methodology that matched exactly what happened to Johnny Altinger, blog posts where Mark discussed his fascination with serial killers and his belief that he could commit the perfect murder, and an internet search history from the weeks before. 00:34:26.880 --> 00:34:37.599 Some of those were how to dispose of a human body, luminal detection, how long does DNA last, storm sewer system in Edmonton, body dismemberment techniques. 00:34:37.760 --> 00:34:46.400 They also found the fake dating profiles Mark had created for Sheena and Jen, complete with stolen photos and fabricated biographical information. 00:34:46.960 --> 00:34:55.679 The messages he'd sent to Johnny and Giles, luring them to the garage, every word, every lie, every manipulation preserved in digital format. 00:34:55.920 --> 00:34:57.199 They also found photos. 00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:09.679 Mark had taken photos of the garage setup before the murders, photos of his kill room in progress, photos that showed the game table, the plastic sheeting, the weapons laid out like he was preparing for a film shoot. 00:35:09.840 --> 00:35:13.119 He documented his own crime scene before committing the crime. 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:19.840 Mark had attempted to dispose of Johnny's remains in multiple locations, and he'd left evidence in every single site. 00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:29.840 On October 12th, a city worker inspecting storm sewers in the area around 86th Avenue reported finding what appeared to be biological material in a sewer grate. 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:35.760 Police investigation revealed partial remains that DNA testing confirmed belonged to Johnny Altinger. 00:35:36.159 --> 00:35:39.119 The sewer grate was three blocks from Mark's garage. 00:35:39.679 --> 00:35:49.599 Forensic analysts of the sewer site found the tire tracks nearby, tracks that matched Mark's vehicle, footprints and mud near the grate matched boots found in Mark's possession. 00:35:49.840 --> 00:35:53.920 Fibers found on the remains matched fibers from the trunk of Mark's car. 00:35:54.079 --> 00:36:01.360 On October 15th, a framer south of Edmonton reporting finding suspicious items in a field off Highway 14. 00:36:01.599 --> 00:36:07.280 Police investigation revealed more remains, along with garbage bags, plastic sheeting, and duct tape. 00:36:07.519 --> 00:36:12.239 And again, DNA testing confirmed these remains also belonged to Johnny Altinger. 00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:26.400 Forensic analysts of the field site found additional tire tracks matching Mark's vehicle, soil samples from Mark's car trunk, matched soil from the field, plant material found in the trunk matched vegetation from the disposal site. 00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:31.280 Every piece of evidence created another link in the chain connecting Mark to the crime. 00:36:31.519 --> 00:36:34.320 The investigation moved with devastating precision. 00:36:34.639 --> 00:36:40.719 October 18th, Johnny's friends report him missing, provide the garage address where he had last been seen. 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:48.159 On the 19th, Giles Tetraron comes forward after seeing news coverage describing his attack one week earlier in the same location. 00:36:48.480 --> 00:36:54.480 October 24th, police obtain search warrants for the garage at 5610 86th Avenue. 00:36:54.719 --> 00:37:00.320 October 31st, forensic teams enter the garage, begins documentation and evidence collection. 00:37:00.559 --> 00:37:05.760 November 3rd, 2008, luminal testing reveals extensive blood evidence throughout the garage. 00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:10.639 November 5th, DNA analyst confirmed blood belonging to Johnny Altinger. 00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:14.880 November 8th, computer forensic team begin analyst of Mark's laptop. 00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:19.440 November 10th, Mark Twitchell is arrested and charged with first degree murder. 00:37:19.840 --> 00:37:32.880 Every piece of evidence collected, every forensic test conducted, every witness interviewed, every digital record examined, the case built itself through Mark's own incompetence and arrogance. 00:37:33.280 --> 00:38:11.679 The final evidence inventory from the garage scene included 47 blood samples, all DNA matched to Johnny Altinger, 12 weapons and tools with biological evidence, 156 photographs of the crime scene, three hours of video documentation, plastic sheeting with blood evidence and DNA, game table with restraint materials and blood evidence, cleaning supplies with trace blood evidence, Johnny's personal effects, wallet, keys, phone, Mark's laptop with complete digital confession, garbage bags containing remains, clothing with blood spatter and DNA evidence. 00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:15.440 The forensic report ran to 847 pages. 00:38:15.599 --> 00:38:27.920 Every piece of evidence documented, photographed, tested, analyzed, and cataloged, every test result recorded, every chain of custody maintained, every scientific standard met. 00:38:28.239 --> 00:38:33.840 Mark's artistic kill room was just a dirty garage where a brutal, ugly, common murder took place. 00:38:34.000 --> 00:38:47.440 No artistry, no sophistication, no evidence of criminal genius, only violence, cruelty, and physical evidence of a human being's last moments fighting against a killer, too incompetent to accomplish his own fantasy. 00:38:47.679 --> 00:39:09.840 Every piece of evidence left behind, every bloodstain he couldn't clean, every trace of DNA he didn't know existed, every forensic marker he didn't understand, every digital record he kept, every photograph he took, every search query he made, it all

combined to create an airtight case that a first-year law student could prosecute successfully. 00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:16.559 The garage at 5610-86th Avenue stands as testament not to sophistication, but to failure. 00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:24.719 Not to artistry, but to brutality, not to intelligence, but to staggering, catastrophic stupidity. 00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:27.679 Mark Twitchell wanted to create a masterpiece. 00:39:27.920 --> 00:39:35.920 Instead, he created the most thoroughly documented, easily prosecuted murder case in Edmonton police service history. 00:39:36.079 --> 00:39:40.960 Guiles Tetralance escape was Mark's first failure, the first crack in the fantasy. 00:39:41.039 --> 00:39:43.199 His first victim fought back and escaped. 00:39:43.360 --> 00:39:47.840 His perfect methodology failed within minutes of real-world application. 00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:56.639 But Giles' survival meant there was a witness, a living witness who could describe the garage, the attack, the man who tried to kill him. 00:39:56.880 --> 00:40:10.880 When Giles came forward after hearing about Johnny's disappearance, when he told police about his own attack one week earlier, investigators suddenly had a pattern, a methodology, a description of the perpetrator. 00:40:11.119 --> 00:40:13.760 Giles' testimony placed Mark at this scene. 00:40:13.920 --> 00:40:16.960 His description of the garage matched where Johnny was last seen. 00:40:17.119 --> 00:40:24.559 His account of the attack with the hockey mask, pipe, sudden violence, it gave investigators a clear picture of what happened to Johnny. 00:40:24.639 --> 00:40:37.440 When police interviewed Giles, he described everything: the fake dating profile, the messages from Sheena, the garage address, the interior layout, the hockey mask, the pipe, the attack, the struggle, and his escape. 00:40:37.760 --> 00:40:40.639 Every detail became part of the investigation. 00:40:40.880 --> 00:40:45.039 Every piece of information was a thread investigators could pull. 00:40:45.280 --> 00:40:48.960 Giles described his attacker's build, height, movement. 00:40:49.199 --> 00:40:52.880 He described the garage's location, appearance, and setup. 00:40:53.039 --> 00:40:55.920 He provided timeline and context. 00:40:56.159 --> 00:41:00.559 Everything investigators needed to connect his attack to Johnny's disappearance. 00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:06.559 When police obtained the warrant and entered that garage, everything Giles had described was there. 00:41:06.800 --> 00:41:11.760 Everything he'd testified to was cooperated by physical evidence. 00:41:12.079 --> 00:41:14.639 Mark's first victim destroyed him. 00:41:14.880 --> 00:41:24.559 The man attacked on October 3rd, 2008, who fought back and escaped, who survived the perfect methodology, he was the beginning of Mark's end. 00:41:24.800 --> 00:41:35.920 Every piece of evidence that followed, every forensic analysis, every witness statement, every element of the case, it all started

with Giles Tetralon refusing to die in that garage. 00:41:36.159 --> 00:41:45.599 Mark wanted victims who were helpless, who would be overwhelmed by surprise attack, who would submit to his control and who would play their parts in his twisted screenplay. 00:41:45.840 --> 00:41:49.360 People who would die according to his artistic vision. 00:41:49.679 --> 00:41:55.599 But Giles was a human being with survival instinct and strength and a will to live. 00:41:55.840 --> 00:42:01.440 When Mark attacked him and he fought back with everything he had, he didn't follow the script. 00:42:01.599 --> 00:42:03.280 He didn't play his assigned role. 00:42:03.440 --> 00:42:04.239 He survived. 00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:07.920 And in surviving, he destroyed the fantasy. 00:42:08.159 --> 00:42:12.800 That's the reality of violence Mark couldn't understand from watching television. 00:42:13.039 --> 00:42:15.199 Real victims don't cooperate. 00:42:15.440 --> 00:42:18.239 Real violence is chaotic and unpredictable. 00:42:18.400 --> 00:42:22.480 And real murder leaves witnesses and evidence and consequences. 00:42:22.800 --> 00:42:35.440 Giles' escape was the moment Mark's dream died, when his fantasy of being the perfect killer collided with reality that he was just a violent criminal who couldn't even successfully attack a single victim. 00:42:35.679 --> 00:42:45.119 That failure set in motion everything that followed: the investigation, the evidence collection, witness testimony, conviction, and a life sentence. 00:42:45.360 --> 00:42:57.280 When Edmonton police obtained a warrant for Mark's laptop on November 4th, they found a confession so detailed that detective Bill Clark, with decades of homicide experience, had never seen anything like it. 00:42:57.599 --> 00:43:00.239 Mark hadn't just left forensic evidence. 00:43:00.639 --> 00:43:07.599 He created a digital archive of his entire criminal enterprise and saved it on his personal computer with his name attached. 00:43:07.679 --> 00:43:10.000 And that laptop, it contained everything. 00:43:10.239 --> 00:43:18.159 SK Confessions was a 31-page first-person perspective about a filmmaker who lures victims to his garage and murders them. 00:43:18.400 --> 00:43:20.719 Not vague, not metaphorical. 00:43:21.119 --> 00:43:27.519 Literally a step-by-step instruction manual matching the actual crimes in excruciating detail. 00:43:27.679 --> 00:43:34.000 It described creating fake profiles for Sheena and Jen, the exact names used to contact Giles and Johnny. 00:43:34.159 --> 00:43:37.599 It described the messages, the psychological manipulation. 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:42.719 Police found those exact messages in his email, word for word matches. 00:43:42.880 --> 00:43:48.079 It described the garage layout, plastic sheeting, game table, weapon positioning, lighting. 00:43:48.239 --> 00:43:50.320 Every detail matched the crime scene. 00:43:50.480 --> 00:43:55.920 It described the attack methodology, the hockey mask, the pipe, surprise violence. 00:43:56.480 --> 00:43:58.719 Giles had described exactly this. 00:43:58.880 --> 00:44:06.559 It described her In the form of zip ties, duct tape, and rope, all found at the scene of Johnny with Johnny's DNA. 00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:11.280 It described a murder weapon, a serrated hunting knife, multiple torso stabs. 00:44:11.519 --> 00:44:14.000 The medical examiner's report confirmed it. 00:44:14.239 --> 00:44:19.760 It described dismemberment and disposal, garbage bags, storm sewer attempt, field dumping. 00:44:19.920 --> 00:44:22.960 Johnny's remains were found exactly as described. 00:44:23.280 --> 00:44:26.719 Every single detail matched. 00:44:27.199 --> 00:44:34.000 But the screenplay was just the beginning of Mark's digital confession because Mark hadn't just written about his crimes. 00:44:34.239 --> 00:44:39.199 He had researched everything on his personal computer without hiding his digital footprint. 00:44:39.360 --> 00:44:49.599 He searched how to dispose of a human body and luminal detection of blood, how to clean up a crime scene, body dismemberment techniques, Dexter Morgan kill room setup. 00:44:49.760 --> 00:45:02.800 He had searched for all of this on his personal computer using his own internet connection without any attempt to hide his digital footprint because Mark Twitchell, the self-proclaimed genius, apparently didn't understand that the internet keeps receipts. 00:45:03.039 --> 00:45:17.679 The laptop also contained Mark's email communications with his victims, the messages to Giles sent from the fake Sheena profile, the messages to Johnny sent from the fake Jen profile, every message to victims saved in his Sant folder. 00:45:18.079 --> 00:45:30.639 Market even kept drafts, drafts he'd revised, perfecting his lure like screenplay dialogue, revising and editing until he got the tone just right, a documentary record of his predatory methodology. 00:45:30.880 --> 00:45:38.880 The laptop also contained his blog posts, the one where he wrote about his dark artistic journey, his dexter obsession, and feeling different from other people. 00:45:39.039 --> 00:45:46.480 And then, of course, there were the photographs of the garage and documenting his setup like a homeowner showing off a renovation project. 00:45:46.639 --> 00:45:59.360 There were financial records showing his purchase of the weapons, the plastic sheeting, the cleaning supplies, with credit card statements for Home Depot materials, receipts for the hunting knife, and a paper trail of every item used in his crime. 00:45:59.599 --> 00:46:08.880 And then there was the Piste de Resistance, Mark's personal journal entries, because of course this narcissistic fuck kept a journal. 00:46:09.119 --> 00:46:15.039 Of course, he documented his thoughts and feelings about his crimes, and of course, he couldn't just commit murder. 00:46:15.119 --> 00:46:20.480 He had to write about it, to process it, and to turn it into content for his own consumption.

00:46:20.719 --> 00:46:22.400 The journal entries were damning. 00:46:22.559 --> 00:46:31.760 His excitement before the attacks, his disappointment when Giles escaped, his determination to do better next time, his satisfaction after killing Johnny. 00:46:31.920 --> 00:46:40.880 He believed that he was too intelligent to be caught, how killing made him feel powerful and special and gave him accomplishment his failed film career never had. 00:46:41.119 --> 00:46:49.840 Mark had created a complete digital archive of his descent into murder, saved it all, no encryption, no attempt to hide or destroy the evidence. 00:46:50.079 --> 00:47:00.880 During his interrogation on October 31st of 2008, Mark claimed the screenplay was fiction, that the similarities between his screenplay and the actual crimes were just coincidental. 00:47:01.039 --> 00:47:05.039 He tried to claim that he was being prosecuted for his artistic vision. 00:47:05.280 --> 00:47:07.280 Detective Clark wasn't buying it. 00:47:07.519 --> 00:47:18.400 He said, quote, your screenplay describes the exact garage where we found blood evidence, the exact methodology used in an actual attack, body disposal matching where we found remains. 00:47:18.639 --> 00:47:19.840 This isn't fiction. 00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:21.280 This is a confession. 00:47:21.519 --> 00:47:28.320 Mark tried claiming he'd found Johnny's body, that someone else had killed him, and Mark had just disposed of the remains. 00:47:28.480 --> 00:47:35.039 He claimed that he found him and he panicked and didn't know what to do and then made the bad decision, but he wasn't a murderer. 00:47:35.199 --> 00:47:51.199 Detective Clark states, quote, so you just happened to find a body and just happened to have written screenplay about it, happened to have fake dating profiles matching those used to lure the victim, happened to have garage setup matching your screenplay description? 00:47:51.519 --> 00:47:53.280 Mark had no answer. 00:47:53.599 --> 00:47:55.840 His own evidence had trapped him. 00:47:56.000 --> 00:48:01.519 The psychological evaluation revealed narcissistic personality disorder within delusional features. 00:48:01.760 --> 00:48:04.079 Mark genuinely believed he was special in that. 00:48:05.920 --> 00:48:09.840 His artistic vision elevated him above moral constraints. 00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.239 He believed documenting his crimes made them art rather than evidence. 00:48:14.480 --> 00:48:18.559 He believed that his screenplay was a creative masterpiece rather than a confession. 00:48:18.800 --> 00:48:24.000 The psychologist testified that Mark showed no genuine remorse, only regret for being caught. 00:48:24.239 --> 00:48:40.079 Frustration, people didn't understand his vision, anger that his work was being used against him, but remorse for taking a life, empathy for his victim's suffering, understanding the pain he had caused, none of that registered. 00:48:40.320 --> 00:48:42.239 The trial was anticlimatic. 00:48:42.400 --> 00:48:54.559 The prosecution presented the screenplay, they presented the laptop evidence, Giles' testimony, forensic evidence, remains, search history, fake profiles, emails, journal entries, and photographs. 00:48:54.800 --> 00:48:55.679 The defense? 00:48:55.920 --> 00:48:57.519 Well, they had nothing. 00:48:57.760 --> 00:49:00.320 I mean, what could they possibly argue? 00:49:00.480 --> 00:49:03.199 That all of this evidence was coincidental? 00:49:03.360 --> 00:49:08.719 That Mark just happened to write a screenplay about murders and then they actually occurred? 00:49:08.960 --> 00:49:23.119 Using his methodology and his garage with his weapons, that he just happened to have fake profiles matching the ones used to lure the victims, that he just happened to have research, body disposal, and forensic evidence evasion. 00:49:23.360 --> 00:49:26.079 The jury deliberated for less than five hours. 00:49:26.320 --> 00:49:31.679 On April 12th, 2011, Mark Twitchell was convicted of first-degree murder. 00:49:31.840 --> 00:49:36.320 He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. 00:49:36.559 --> 00:49:46.000 Mark wanted to be remembered as a sophisticated serial killer, the next Dexter Morgan, a criminal genius operating beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. 00:49:46.159 --> 00:49:56.559 Instead, he became a cautionary tale, a punchline, a case study in how narcissism and stupidity can combine to create the perfect self-conviction. 00:49:56.719 --> 00:49:58.400 He failed at filmmaking. 00:49:58.559 --> 00:50:01.280 His Star Wars fan film was unwatchable. 00:50:01.440 --> 00:50:08.559 He failed at murder, his first victim escape, and his second victim's disappearance immediately triggered an investigation. 00:50:08.880 --> 00:50:15.440 He failed at covering his tracks, he left forensic evidence everywhere, kept a digital archive of his crimes. 00:50:15.599 --> 00:50:26.880 He failed at being a sophisticated killer, and he was caught within weeks, convicted on the strength of his own evidence, and will spend the rest of his life in prison. 00:50:27.119 --> 00:50:33.360 But most of all, he failed at being special, at being remembered, and at mattering. 00:50:33.599 --> 00:50:38.559 Although Mark Twitchell will be remembered, but not in the way that he wanted. 00:50:38.719 --> 00:50:43.760 He won't be remembered as an artist or a genius or a sophisticated criminal. 00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:49.519 He'll be remembered as the idiot who wrote a detailed confession to murder and called it a screenplay. 00:50:49.679 --> 00:50:53.679 The failed filmmaker who thought watching TV made him a killer. 00:50:54.000 --> 00:51:02.000 The narcissist who was so convinced of his own intelligence that he documented every crime and saved it on his laptop. 00:51:02.320 --> 00:51:12.480 That evidence was his screenplay, his artistic masterpiece, detailing every aspect of his crime so explicitly that prosecutors barely

needed other evidence. 00:51:12.719 --> 00:51:20.960 Mark thought writing about murder elevated him above the act, that it made him an artist rather than a criminal, and he was catastrophically wrong. 00:51:21.119 --> 00:51:23.119 Because that screenplay wasn't art. 00:51:23.360 --> 00:51:41.760 It was just a 31-page confession, proving premeditation, demonstrating methodology, establishing motive, connecting him directly to the murder of Johnny Altinger, the single most damning piece of evidence in the entire case, and he wrote it himself, saved it, and kept it in his possession. 00:51:42.079 --> 00:51:44.000 You wanted to be Dexter Morgan. 00:51:44.159 --> 00:51:52.079 You wanted to be the perfect killer who never got caught, who operated with surgical precision, and who was always three steps ahead of the police. 00:51:52.239 --> 00:51:54.000 But Dexter was fiction. 00:51:54.239 --> 00:52:04.159 Mark was just a failed filmmaker with delusions of grandeur, a narcissist who thought murder would make him special, an idiot who wrote down his crimes and called it art. 00:52:04.480 --> 00:52:09.440 He wasn't sophisticated, he wasn't intelligent, and he wasn't special. 00:52:09.760 --> 00:52:20.400 He was just another killer who got caught because he couldn't understand the difference between fantasy and reality, between art and evidence, and between television and actual murder. 00:52:20.639 --> 00:52:30.239 Now he'll spend the rest of his life in prison reflecting on his failures, failed film career, failed murders, failed sophistication, failed belief he was too intelligent to be caught. 00:52:30.480 --> 00:52:34.559 Every goal missed, every fantasy disproven by reality. 00:52:34.719 --> 00:52:36.719 He wanted to create a masterpiece. 00:52:36.960 --> 00:52:39.519 Instead, he created the case against himself. 00:52:39.760 --> 00:52:41.840 He wanted to be remembered as a genius. 00:52:42.000 --> 00:52:45.760 Instead, he's remembered as one of the dumbest criminals in modern history. 00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:51.039 Just stupidity, narcissism, complete failure at everything he attempted. 00:52:51.199 --> 00:52:53.519 He thought he could do it better than Dexter. 00:52:53.679 --> 00:52:58.480 He couldn't even do it better than the average criminal with sense enough not to write down their crimes. 00:52:58.719 --> 00:53:00.079 Congratulations, Mark. 00:53:00.239 --> 00:53:01.679 You're special after all. 00:53:01.920 --> 00:53:03.519 Just not in the way you wanted. 00:53:03.760 --> 00:53:07.840 And with that, besties, we're closing the book on the story of Mark Twitchell. 00:53:08.000 --> 00:53:13.519 This case is a reminder that sometimes the thing that brings someone down isn't a lack of intelligence. 00:53:13.679 --> 00:53:16.559 It's believing they're the smartest person in the room. 00:53:16.800 --> 00:53:28.559 Mark wanted to create a story where he was the mastermind, but the only legacy he was he created was one he built on ignorance, obsession, and the consequences of his own choice, choices. 00:53:28.800 --> 00:53:32.880 But before we close out today, I want to take a moment to remember Johnny Altinger. 00:53:33.440 --> 00:53:35.920 He wasn't a character in someone else's story. 00:53:36.079 --> 00:53:40.079 He was a person with a life, a family, and people who cared about him. 00:53:40.159 --> 00:53:42.480 And that is the part of the story that matters most. 00:53:42.719 --> 00:53:50.320 If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to follow, subscribe, and share Thick Thighs and Murder Vibes with your fellow true crime besties. 00:53:50.480 --> 00:53:54.880 And if you have a minute, leaving a five-star review helps more than you know. 00:53:55.199 --> 00:53:57.679 And helps other besties find the show. 00:53:58.000 --> 00:54:07.199 Until next time, stay safe, trust your gut, and remember, sometimes the scariest stories are the ones where someone thinks they're the hero.