By David Lohr

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January 17, 2007

ALBERTA, Canada (Crime Library)  —  The trial of the youngest person ever charged with multiple counts of murder in Canada has been delayed.  According to youth court officials, the Crown is not ready to proceed.  Yesterday, defense attorney Tim Foster told the Calgary Sun the trial will probably not begin until June.

On April 23, 2006, authorities in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, were summoned to 304 Cameron Road after a six-year-old neighbor boy reported seeing a body through the front window.  When Medicine Hat Police stepped inside, they found the bodies of Marc Richardson, 42, his wife, Debra, 48, and their eight-year-old son, Jacob.  The couple's daughter, Jasmine Richardson, 12, was not found at the scene, so investigators immediately issued a missing persons alert.

The chief suspect in the murders was 23-year-old Jeremy Steinke.  According to friends of the family, Steinke was dating 12-year-old Jasmine behind her parents' back.  When they discovered the relationship, they grounded Jasmine and told her she was not allowed to have any contact with Jeremy.  The decision angered them, and they vowed to find another way to be together.

Part of the murder investigation included profiles Jeremy and Jasmine posted on the Internet.  Before long, investigators discovered several of their profiles, which painted a disturbing picture.

Jasmine had posted profiles on MySpace, VampireFreaks.com and Zorpia.com.  Her MySpace profile is nearly blank, other than some general information and a list of her personal heroes, which include Jeffrey Dahmer, Criss Angel, Marilyn Manson, Dani Filth and Batman. 

Her Zorpia.com profile is also lacking any significant information.  Other than some basic information and a last login of Saturday, Feb. 25, 2006, the only items of real interest are the three photos she uploaded to the website.  It is hard to believe they are of a 12-year-old girl.

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Contact  David Lohr at           crimewriter74@hughes.net

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