Edmonton filmmaker guilty of first degree murder
Posted Apr 13, 2011 7:53 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Gasps and cries could be heard from family members of Johnny Altinger in an Edmonton courtroom Tuesday as a jury found his killer guilty of first degree murder.
It means an automatic life sentence for 31-year-old Mark Twitchell with no chance of parole for 25 years.
When asked outside the courtroom if she wished there was still the death penalty, Altinger’s mother Elfriede told reporters no; but she did say she hopes he dies a very slow death in prison so that he can reflect on what he’s done every day.
“I’m so glad it’s over and the jury did the right thing,” she said. “I don’t know any other way they could have done it. I’m just speechless. I don’t know what to say. I’m just so relieved.”
Twitchell swallowed hard but showed no sign of emotion as the verdict was read aloud.
Edmonton Police Detective Bill Clark says it’s his hope Twitchell never walks the streets again.
“To me, he’s a psychopathic killer that we’ve taken off the streets of this city,” said Clark. “There’s no doubt in my mind or I think in any of the investigation team, we caught him on his first one, so he’s a very poor serial killer and he will never become a serial killer.”
In a victim impact statement, Elfriede Altinger wrote that she still calls her son’s cell phone to hear his voice.
Twitchell wrote about his experiences in a diary entitled “The story of my progression into becoming a serial killer.”
It was found in the deleted section of his laptop by Edmonton investigators.
The 31-year-old filmmaker had admitted to killing Altinger, but only in self-defence after Altinger realized he was lured to the garage under false pretenses.
Altinger was under the impression he was meeting a woman he had met on a dating website.
