8 Year Old Victoria “Tori” Stafford Missing Since 4/8/09 in Ontario, Canada

[Northern Rose]

Court appearance this morning via video link

First degree murder charge has been filed against T-L
Judge said it was important to set the tone for these proceeds
Judge expressed his deepest sympathies to family and friends of Tori
T-L's lawyer spoke after the hearing said that they will be tried separately, no long co-accused
Charges have also been changed from abduction to unlawful confinement
MR lawyer says the court has assigned separate prosecutors to both MR and T-L
He speculates it is due to criticism the Attorney General received after the Bernardo case

[Northern Rose]

Search for Tori today

Back at a landfill site that they searched earlier during her disappearance
Searching landfill near Salford – west of Woodstock
Intensifying search along 401 corridor between Woodstock and Guelph

[Northern Rose]

Images of the search today

[Northern Rose]

Newsnet

Tori’s Uncle states
Justice would be done one way or another,

“Justice will come, maybe not in this court but it will be done.”

Tara was not in court today, her brother said she was at home sick with the flu

[no rose colored glasses]

Thanks for the updates.

[Edward]

I like Tori's uncle.   

[cookie]

Newsnet

Tori’s Uncle states
Justice would be done one way or another,

“Justice will come, maybe not in this court but it will be done.”

Tara was not in court today, her brother said she was at home sick with the flu

who are these people ?

[cookie]

Newsnet

Tori’s Uncle states
Justice would be done one way or another,

“Justice will come, maybe not in this court but it will be done.”

Tara was not in court today, her brother said she was at home sick with the flu

who are these people ?

the man and woman in the video..guy has a ball cap on? is that the uncle?
I like the uncle too!

[canadianmonkey]

Newsnet

Tori’s Uncle states
Justice would be done one way or another,

“Justice will come, maybe not in this court but it will be done.”

Tara was not in court today, her brother said she was at home sick with the flu

who are these people ?

the man and woman in the video..guy has a ball cap on? is that the uncle?
I like the uncle too!

Yep!  I believe that's Rodney's brother.  I also believe he's the one that tried to hit Michael Rafferty when he was being taken from court.  He seems like a really likeable guy.   

[can]

Thanks Northernrose. 

[Northern Rose]

Newsnet

Tori’s Uncle states
Justice would be done one way or another,

“Justice will come, maybe not in this court but it will be done.”

Tara was not in court today, her brother said she was at home sick with the flu

who are these people ?

the man and woman in the video..guy has a ball cap on? is that the uncle?
I like the uncle too!

Yep!  I believe that's Rodney's brother.  I also believe he's the one that tried to hit Michael Rafferty when he was being taken from court.  He seems like a really likeable guy.   

Yes, that is Rodney's brother.  He is also the guy that tried to get to MR when they were moving him from court to the van after the first court.  After that court all he said to reporters was "I knew we needed one more guy".  Apparently there was two of them that were there trying to get to MR.  I really like him but hope he does not end up in jail over this.

[Northern Rose]

Suspect 'cries all the time'
 
 
By Matthew Coutts, National PostMay 23, 2009
 
Michael Rafferty, accused in the murder of Victoria "Tori" Stafford, is being described by a former girlfriend as an unstable boyfriend who demanded constant attention.

The woman, who requested her name not be used, called him intense and one who easily fell in love.

The two-month relationship is said to have ended on April 1, one week before the eight-year-old Tori went missing.

She said Mr. Rafferty started declaring his undying love for her about a week into their relationship, and on the weekend before she broke it off -- by telephone -- Mr. Rafferty appeared to be on the verge of proposing.

She said that when she stopped him from proposing, he screamed at her for half an hour and accosted her in a restaurant bathroom.

"If I wasn't constantly loveydovey ... he would get upset and get worked up," the woman said.

She said he had asked her to perform several sexually deviant acts, including choking one another during intercourse and actions that involved urine.

She emphatically declined. "I am a mother and I would not trust him around my son," the woman said.

She said that despite spending most of her time working out of the province, she doesn't understand how he could have been dating Terri-Lynne McClintic at the same time as her, because he centred his whole life around her.

His emotional turn in the courtroom the day after his arrest, however, she understands.

"He cries all the time. That's what bothers me, the tears in court.

"He cries all the time. He always breaks down. It's a manipulation thing, he's trying to get sympathy for his problems."
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Suspect+cries+time/1622110/story.html

[Northern Rose]

Upgraded charge in Stafford Investigation
    WOODSTOCK, ON, May 28 /CNW/ - As investigators actively continue their
work on the investigation into the Abduction/Murder of 8 year old Victoria
Stafford, they are releasing the following information on the charges and
search for Victoria's body.
    Police advise that 18 year old Terri-Lynne McClintic is now facing an
upgraded charge from Accessory After the Fact to Murder to a charge of First
Degree Murder under the Criminal Code.
    Starting today, members of the OPP Emergency Response Teams will return
to the Landfill site located east of Salford, Ontario. Also, a further
extensive search of the 401 Highway corridor between Woodstock and Guelph will
be started.
    Detective Inspector Renton stated, "The investigative team is working
hard and is utilizing all available resources to help locate the body of
Victoria Stafford."
    Police investigators continue to ask area property owners within a 50
minute drive of the City of Guelph to check their fields and report any
suspicious or significant changes they notice to landscape or familiar
landmarks.
    Investigators also continue to seek the assistance of the public who may
recall seeing the suspect vehicle and/or suspects either in the City of
Woodstock, Guelph and surrounding area. The vehicle is described as a 2003
Honda 4-Door car, blue with black spray paint over portions of the vehicle.
    Police describe the interior of the vehicle as being a grey coloured
cloth material and are seeking help from the public in locating the entire
rear seat of this vehicle that had been removed. If located, police ask that
you report it to police immediately and without physically touching it, try to
protect it from the elements until investigators can attend the scene.
    To view a photo of the rear seat, please go to
http://files.newswire.ca/380/Rear_Seat_2003_Honda.jpg.
    An extensive search for the remains of Victoria Stafford continues by
Police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Oxford Community Police
at 519-537-2323 or Toll Free at 1-877-537-6277, their Local Police, or Crime
Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
    Information about this case can be found on the OPP Missing Persons and
Unidentified Bodies website at www.opp.ca or at
www.oxfordcommunitypolice.on.ca or America's Most Wanted, www.amw.com or
gtasmostwanted.com.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2009/28/c8516.html

[Northern Rose]

Charges upgraded to first-degree murder for female suspect in Tori Stafford case
Toronto - The charge against an 18-year-old woman accused in the abduction of eight-year-old Tori Stafford has been upgraded to first-degree murder, Thursday.

Terri-Lynne McClintic was originally charged as an accomplice to murder. Her abduction charge was also changed to unlawful confinement.

McClintic and her co-accused Michael Rafferty, 28, who has been charged with first-degree murder as well, appeared in court today in Woodstock via video link.

Rafferty's abduction charge has also become an unlawful confinement charge.

Rafferty's case is adjourned until June 12, with McClintic's next video remand scheduled for June 23.

Hal Mattson, the lawyer for Rafferty, had told 680News that there would be some significant things happening in court today. "There may be something of a legal nature that's going to happen," Mattson said.

Although he didn't elaborate on the details, he did suggest that it might have something to do in part with asking the court to have Rafferty's charges separated from McClintic's.

He said Rafferty has been instructed not to talk to police. "As you probably know, everyone has the right not to say anything and the right to remain silent, and that's what we're trying to encourage our client to do," he said.

Mattson said he will be asking for a postponement today, so he can learn of all the information police have, "especially the statement from the young girl, who they seem to think is giving them information that has led to our client."

He also said that Rafferty has support from his loved ones. McClintic's lawyer told 680News her client has been having a tough time behind bars, and that she was in tears the last time she saw her.

Meanwhile, the search continued on Wednesday for the remains of Stafford, in Oxford County alongside Highway 401. Police said they were searching the area not because of a tip.

Stafford went missing April 8 on her way home from school in Woodstock.

http://www.680news.com/news/more.jsp?content=20090528_080658_8024

[Northern Rose]

New murder charge in Tori disappearance

By THE CANADIAN PRESS


WOODSTOCK, Ont. — The controversy surrounding the so-called Deal With The Devil made with Karla Homolka for her testimony against Paul Bernardo could be the reason the man and woman charged with murdering Victoria Stafford will be tried separately, the man’s lawyer said Thursday.

Michael Rafferty, 28, was charged with first-degree murder last week and prosecutors have upgraded accessory charges against Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, to first-degree murder. The Crown indicated the two will be tried separately.

While Rafferty’s lawyer, Hal Mattson, made it clear outside court he had no direct knowledge of why the Crown decided to conduct separate trials, he said people could speculate there’s a deal in the works with McClintic.

“Usually (it’s) because they are talking to one or other of the counsel and they’ve got a different tack,” Mattson told reporters outside the court.

“One of those tacks that (the Crown) may have is that they have or might be negotiating a deal with the other side... I’m just saying that’s what someone could speculate.”

McClintic’s lawyer, Jeanine LeRoy, said she has not had any discussions with the Crown attorney to that end.


Mattson said it was significant that a different prosecutor had been assigned to McClintic’s case. In stressing that point he cited the furor that erupted after details emerged about the deal Homolka made in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence for manslaughter in the murders of two Ontario schoolgirls.

“It seems to me that there was a lot of criticism of the Attorney General’s office last time that the same Crowns that were prosecuting Bernardo, for example, made the deal with Homolka,” Mattson said.

“So what they may be doing is trying to have it arms length so they have two separate people making decisions.”

Homolka was sentenced in 1993 to 12 years in exchange for testimony against her husband, in which she portrayed herself as an unwitting victim. Caustic videotapes documenting the rape and torture of the victims later appeared to expose her as a willing participant in the crimes.

The deputy attorney general who directed the negotiations has said it was more important to get Bernardo, because they simply didn’t have a case against him.

Both of the accused in the Stafford case are also now charged with kidnapping with the intent to confine someone against their will instead of abduction. Abduction carries a maximum jail term of five years while kidnapping carries a sentence of up to life in prison.

Victoria, known as Tori, disappeared from outside her Woodstock, Ont., school on April 8. The six-week effort to bring her home safely ended tragically last Wednesday when police announced charges against Rafferty and McClintic and vowed to find Tori’s remains.

The two accused made brief court appearances Thursday via video link from the detention centres where they are being held. McClintic appeared dishevelled and at the end of her appearance said “thank you,” in a hoarse voice.

Rafferty, sporting neatly trimmed facial hair, stood nearly motionless during his appearance, his hands clasped in front of him.

James Goris, the boyfriend of Tori’s mother Tara McDonald, and members of McDonald’s family were in court. Tori’s father, Rodney Stafford, was not in court but said he was apprised of the new charges Thursday morning.

Tori’s paternal grandmother, Doreen Graichen, said the family was trying to absorb the news and make sense of it all, but added no punishment is enough for whoever killed her granddaughter.

“No matter what comes down we don’t have Victoria anymore,” she said.

McClintic had been out with police for five days, searching in the Guelph, Ont., area for Tori’s remains. She was sent to a detention centre after a judicial order allowing her assist in the search expired Sunday. The search is continuing as police have not yet found a body or a crime scene.

Mattson suggested members of the public may draw a conclusion that McClintic’s upgraded charges were the result of her apparently fruitless co-operation.

“If I was the public and I was reading that, my own speculation would be is that they upped (to) the murder charge because her co-operation didn’t pan out,” Mattson said Thursday outside court.

Mattson said he advised his client not to speak with police, and suggested McClintic had been helping with the search because of the evidence against her.

“It may be because she (allegedly) was on the video and...they have a very strong case against her,” Mattson said. “That’s what someone could speculate again, that there’s good reason for her to try to get out from underneath a rock.”

Neither lawyer had received disclosure Thursday about the evidence against their clients.

Rafferty is still on suicide watch, Mattson said, but he called it a procedural decision and expected the watch to end soon.

Rafferty will appear by video on June 12 and McClintic on June 23.

Before court got underway Thursday, justice of the peace F. Michael McMahon took a moment to address the “highly emotional“ saga of Tori’s disappearance and death that has gripped this small community.

“On behalf of this court I express my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Victoria Stafford,” he said.

“I would ask everyone to try to control their emotions.”

Mattson said he anticipates a change of venue application, as he has “doubts” about whether his client could receive a fair trial in Woodstock, where the community rallied to find the little girl.

Meanwhile, a ground search continued for Tori’s remains in Wellington County near Guelph, about an hour from Woodstock, as police examine a vast rural area.

An extensive search of the Highway 401 corridor between Woodstock and Guelph is also being launched, police said in a release Thursday.

Police have been asking for tips from anyone in Woodstock or Guelph who may have seen a blue 2003 four-door Honda with black spray paint over portions on April 8.

Investigators want residents to check their properties for the car’s entire back seat, described as grey and made of cloth, and report it to police immediately.

On Tuesday, a police-led review of Ontario’s Amber Alert system was announced following weeks of criticism directed at authorities for not activating the alert when they learned the Grade 3 student had vanished.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/05/28/9598101-cp.html

[Deenie]

Northern
Tori's Dad is on my Facebook. Not the Tori Missing " facebook" but Rodney - he and I have talked before .. If you ask him - He will talk to you.

Just thoughts.
K

[Northern Rose]

Northern
Tori's Dad is on my Facebook. Not the Tori Missing " facebook" but Rodney - he and I have talked before .. If you ask him - He will talk to you.

Just thoughts.
K

Thanks Deenie.  I will look for his facebook and send him a message.  My heart so goes out to him.

[Northern Rose]

Murder Charge For Stafford Suspect
Separate Trials

Canwest News Service, With Files From Megan O'Toole, National Post 
Published: Friday, May 29, 2009

WOODSTOCK, ONT. - Eighteen-year-old Terri-Lynne Mc-Clintic, one of the accused in the high-profile disappearance and murder of eight-year-old Victoria (Tori) Stafford, is now facing a first-degree murder charge in the case.

Ms. McClintic and Michael Rafferty, 28, were arrested May 20 and remain in custody. The two appeared in a Woodstock courtroom via videolink yesterday.

No details were provided in court as to why the charges against Ms. McClintic were upgraded to murder. Oxford police only confirmed in a news release that the charge of accessory after the fact to murder had been upgraded to first-degree murder.

Before the proceedings, the judge told people in the packed courtroom he understood it was an emotional time and expressed condolences to Tori's family, but he cautioned them not to get emotional in the court once the suspects appeared on screen.

Outside court, Ms. McClintic's lawyer, Jeanine LeRoy, said her client will be tried separately from Mr. Rafferty, but could not give a reason for the decision. She said Ms. McClintic remains willing to aid police in the search for Tori's body.

"She has not been asked of late to be physically present to help in the search -- but her attitude hasn't changed in that regard," she said. "The judge's order allowing (her to search) ended and she was no longer able to assist. Her attitude remains the same ... to co-operate fully. That was her goal. It remains her goal in order to help police find Tori and bring Tori home."

Jonathon Aldworth, who said he has been friends with Ms. McClintic since they met in public school in Grade 6, admits he was "shocked" by the charges against her.

Though he describes the young woman as "outgoing" and "fun to be with," he acknowledges "there was always something weird about her."

"It was just the way she grew up," Mr. Aldworth said. "No family, no real home, always moving."

Mr. Rafferty's defence lawyer, speaking outside court, said he was surprised that there would now be two trials. Mr. Rafferty continues to face one count of first-degree murder and one count of unlawful confinement, changed from the previous charge of abduction.

"It is unusual to try them separately," said Hal Mattson. "You would think they would have [Ms. McClintic] testify against [Mr. Rafferty], obviously, and so we'll have to see what she says and what information comes forward."

The Grade 3 girl was last seen on a surveillance tape, with a woman in Woodstock, about 150 kilometres west of Toronto, on April 8.

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1642706

 

[Northern Rose]

Search for Tori's body returns to Fergus, landfill site
 
 
Canwest News ServiceMay 29, 2009 12:01 PM
FERGUS, Ont. — Investigators will concentrate their search for the remains of eight-year-old Victoria (Tori) Stafford in Fergus, Ont., and at a landfill site in the area, a police spokeswoman said Friday.

Oxford police Const. Laurie-Anne Maitland said officers searched a lengthy stretch of Hwy. 401 Thursday, but will return to the landfill site located east of Salford, Ont. Friday.

The search for the little girl's body began May 20, after two suspects were arrested and charged.

Eighteen-year-old Terri-Lynne McClintic had her charge upgraded Thursday to first-degree murder. She had previously been charged with abduction and accessory after the fact to murder.

Her co-accused, 28-year-old Michael Rafferty, also faces one count of first-degree murder.

The two were in a Woodstock, Ont courtroom via videolink Thursday. No details were provided in court as to why the charges against McClintic were upgraded.

The two will be tried separately, lawyers for the accused said Thursday.

Meanwhile, police continue to ask area property owners within a 50 minute drive of Guelph, Ont., to check their fields and report any suspicious or significant changes to landscape or familiar landmarks.

Investigators are also asking potential witnesses, who may have seen the suspect vehicle and or suspects either in the city of Woodstock, Guelph and the surrounding area, to come forward. The vehicle is described as a 2003 Honda 4-Door car, blue with black spray paint over portions of the vehicle.

Police are attempting to locate the missing back seat of the vehicle.

The Grade 3 girl was last seen on a surveillance tape, willingly walking after school with an unknown woman in Woodstock, about 150 kilometres west of Toronto, on April 8.

[victorian]

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090529/stafford_update_090529/20090529?hub=Toronto

Police tell dad they may never find Tori's remains

Updated: Fri May. 29 2009 12:42:23 PM

The Canadian Press

WOODSTOCK, Ont. — The father of Victoria Stafford says police have told him to prepare for the possibility they may never find his daughter's remains.

Tori went missing on April 8 and six weeks later police arrested 28-year-old Michael Rafferty and charged him with first-degree murder.

Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, who was originally charged with being an accessory, has since had her charges upgraded to first-degree murder.

Police have been searching for Tori's remains for 10 days, and though at first they were looking in a specific rural area that has now been widely expanded to include lakes and areas near Canada's busiest highway, the 401.

Tori's father, Rodney Stafford, says police told him they may never find his daughter.

But Stafford says without being able to lay his daughter to rest he will never be able to let his mind rest, still thinking there is a shred of hope she is alive.