The Cop Who Created a Killer

At 10:40 on the night of June 4, 1971, police arrested Donald Marshall Junior in Whycocomagh. The case against him had been built by John MacIntyre, the Sergeant of Detectives with Sydney City Police.MacIntyre already regarded Donald as a troublemaker. By the morning after Sandy Seale was stabbed, MacIntyre had decided Donald was responsible. He told an RCMP sergeant that Donald and Sandy had been arguing, which was a lie. George and Alexander MacNeil had also seen two unfamiliar men in the park. Their descriptions matched Donald’s account. MacIntyre set their evidence aside, stopped looking for those men, and declined investigative help from the RCMP.The Royal Commission later found that Donald’s Mi’kmaw identity was one reason MacIntyre made him the prime suspect. The Commission said MacIntyre became “blindly determined to prove his theory.”MacIntyre then turned to two teenagers.John Pratico was sixteen. In his first statement, Pratico told police that he heard a scream and saw two men running away. On June 4, MacIntyre took him through the park and questioned him again.This time, Pratico’s story changed. He now said Donald and Sandy had been arguing. Then he claimed that he watched Donald stab Sandy.The Commission found that MacIntyre suggested the argument, Donald’s role, and even the place where Pratico supposedly stood.MacIntyre next travelled to Louisbourg to question Maynard Chant. Chant was fourteen and on probation. He had reached Donald only after the attack.MacIntyre falsely told Chant that another witness had seen him in the park. After an intimidating interview, Chant signed a statement that matched Pratico’s story. Chant now claimed that he had also seen Donald argue with Sandy and stab him.The Commission found that MacIntyre supplied those details. MacIntyre was the only connection between the two stories.Those statements led to Donald’s arrest.MacIntyre handed the entire file to the Crown prosecutor. That file contained the earlier statements that contradicted the new stories. The prosecutor carried the new stories forward while the contradictions remained unexamined and undisclosed to the defence.On July 5, Pratico and Chant repeated their false stories at Donald’s preliminary inquiry. Donald’s lawyers asked neither witness a single question.The judge ordered Donald to stand trial for murder.MacIntyre’s false theory had become the case against Donald.Join our Substack community so you don’t miss out on Part III. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit quietcanines.substack.com/subscribe