Are you looking for famous criminal cases in Canada? In today’s blog, we will be discussing criminal cases that have been brought to the public’s attention by being shown in the media around Canada.

We will discuss the penalties given and summarize the article so that you can articulate the background of the offence and the offender. These cases will go as far back as 2019 to the most recent ongoing criminal case today, in 2021.

The first case we will discuss today is an ongoing case from 2019 involving Linda O’Leary, the wife of celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary.

Linda O’Leary Criminal Trial

Linda O’Leary was charged in a boat crash that killed two people by the names of Gary Poltash, 45, from Florida, who was pronounced dead at the scene and Suzana Brito, 48, from Uxbridge, Ontario, who died in hospital a few days later.

This event occurred north of Toronto on Lake Joseph on August 24, 2019. A statement of facts read in court on June 14, 2021, states that the two individuals died due to blunt force trauma to the head and neck from being struck by the boat.

Linda O’Leary pleaded not guilty on the morning of June 14, 2021, to one charge of the careless operation of a vessel under the Canada Shipping Act. The trial is held in Parry Sound, Ontario and is available via video conference.

August 2023 update: She was found not guilty.

Cases in Canada that Made the Media

A 47-year-old Oshawa man sentenced to life in prison for killing and dismembering two young women in Oshawa for nearly a decade is a “dangerous predator” who will “never be seen in public again,” a judge said.

After a two-day sentencing hearing, Ontario Superior Court Justice Joseph Di Luca sentenced Adam Strong to life in prison without the chance of parole for 25 years for the murder of 18-year-old Rori Hache, who disappeared in 2017.

Strong was also handed a concurrent 18-year sentence for manslaughter in the death of 19-year-old Kandis Fitzpatrick, who her family last saw in 2008.

“You are a dangerous predator. You decided to feed your selfish desires, and in doing so, you took two vulnerable lives,” Di Luca said when delivering his sentence.

“Your moment before us is done. From here you will go to prison. You will never be seen in public again. In time, you will be forgotten…You will neither be famous nor infamous. You will be gone.”

Famous Criminal Cases

An investigation was first launched into Strong’s crimes in September 2017 when Hache’s torso was found in Lake Ontario weeks after she was reported missing on Aug. 30.

Strong was only linked to the investigation months later after plumbers discovered what appeared to be human flesh in a clogged drain in his basement apartment and notified police.

Di Luca said Strong “has demonstrated in the clearest way possible” that there is no reasonable prospect for rehabilitation.

“The sentence I impose today can never undo the harm that Adam Strong has caused. It can never erase the horrors that the families of the victims have endured. It can never change the final moments of Ms. Hache’s and Ms. Fitzpatrick’s life and cannot bring them back,” he said.

Court Justice Joseph Di Luca sentenced Adam Strong

“It can ensure that Mr. Strong will never walk completely free in our community again. The sentence I impose will likely ensure that he will never get out of prison.”

The last case we will discuss today is a much more recent and unsettling case that has been front-page and breaking news since the incident occurred on June 6, 2021.

The incident involved the accused, Nathaniel Veltman, 20 years old, charged with four counts of first-degree murder following an alleged vehicle attack in London, Ontario.

Veltman is accused of killing four members of a Muslim family: Salman Afzaal, his wife Madiha Salman, their daughter Yumna, and Salman Afzaal’s Mother, the couple’s nine-year-old son Fayez, were injured in the attack. Nathaniel Veltman is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Famous Criminal Cases in Canada Examples

The media states that London Police Deputy Paul Wright explained that they have evidence that leads them to believe that this attack was planned and premeditated and that the family was targeted due to their Muslim faith.

Veltman was arrested seven kilometres from the crash near Cherryhill Village Mall in London. The police say that Veltman was wearing body armour at the time of his arrest.

On June 14, 2021, Terrorism charges were filed against Veltman. Federal prosecutor Sarah Shaikh told the court the deputy director of public prosecutions had approved the charges Wednesday, June 9, 2021, alleging the killings constituted terrorist activity.

Nathaniel Veltman Car Attack

The Terrorism charges place an additional burden on prosecutors, who will have to prove not only that Veltman committed the killings but that his motive was terrorism.

That means making the case that he intended to intimidate a population segment for a political, religious, or ideological purpose, objective, or cause. These cases hit the limelight of the media due to their severity and the awareness brought on by social media at the time.

These cases are a good read and also a great source of research when analyzing different penalties in criminal law in Canada. We hope you found reading about these famous criminal cases in Canada interesting.