28. THE TRANSCRIPT

Content Warning: This chapter depicts instances of physical violence and mentions of sexual assault please send me a message if you want to talk.

Kingston City Police Transcript

April 26, 2017 (Page 1-39)

April 28, 2017 (Page 40-102) *

Lead Detective: Christie Fortnum

* Medically necessary accommodation

(Page 1)

KCP DETECTIVE FORTNUM: Would you state your name for the record?

LENA MELNYK: Lena Marie Melnyk. Is nobody going to tell me if they're okay? For the record?

KCP: Ms. Melnyk, we just have a few questions to ask you.

MELNYK: I can try, but I don't see how I can answer questions. Nobody is telling me anything.

KCP: We have no information right now, but I'll tell you when we have any news.

MELNYK: Can I see them? Shit. (unintelligible) What am I going to tell Wes?

KCP: You're a witness, we need you to stay and answer questions.

MELNYK: Okay. Will he go to jail?

KCP: We're figuring all of that out right now, but we need help filling in the blanks. Can you tell me what happened?

MELNYK: Well, I don't know very much. Peter and I got into the apartment building, but the door, their apartment door, not the main door, was wide open. There was a lot of noise, and broken glass in the hall. Peter ran inside, and he told me to go back to the car and call 911.

KCP: So you made the call?

MELNYK: I did, but they had already sent people to help. A neighbor must have called.

KCP: Did you ever enter the unit?

MELNYK: No. I called them from the hall. I didn't want to leave Peter alone, but I was too scared to go inside.

KCP: What were you doing at 191 Union Avenue?

MELNYK: Wes asked me and Peter to check on Simon and Cassie. We'd seen Doug on campus earlier, and we wanted to make sure they knew to keep an eye out for him.

KCP: West?

MELNYK: Wes. Weston Maguire. Do you know if Peter was able to reach him?

KCP: I'm not able---excuse me, please sit down. This is a criminal investigation and you're a witness.

MELNYK: I hardly saw anything. I need to call my friend.

KCP: Sit. We need to go over the details.

MELNYK: I have to call Wes. He's going to be devastated. (unintelligible)

. . .

(Page 12)

KCP: Mr. Moore?

MOORE: Uh, Peter. Just Peter is fine. Can you repeat the question?

KCP: Sure, Peter. What time did you arrive at the residence where you found Ms. Belford and Mr. Idzik?

MOORE: And Hank. He was there, too.

KCP: Hank? Sorry, who is Hank?

MOORE: The dog. He's a guide dog. Simon can't see, so he has Hank. Hank is the dog.

KCP: Okay. What time did you arrive at 191 Union Avenue?

MOORE: A little before 7:00 I guess? Fuck. We shouldn't have gone to dinner first. We should have gone there, to see them. To warn them. Fuck.

KCP: Slow down, Peter. Can you tell me what you saw when you came to 191 Union Avenue?

MOORE: The building was normal. But we went upstairs to their apartment, and there was like crying. The door was open, and it looked like some things were broken. Cassie was crying and screaming. Hank was barking.

KCP: Hank the guide dog.

MOORE: Right.

KCP: What did you do when you saw the door was left open?

MOORE: I went inside. I told Lena to call the police and get back in my car. I don't remember if I even gave her the keys. (pause) I don't think she listened, anyway.

KCP: And what did you see after you entered the unit?

MOORE: I saw Cassie first, she was bleeding. Her face. There was a lot of blood. And I think something was wrong with her hand. Is she okay?

KCP: Ms. Belford is being treated for her injuries. Please continue.

MOORE: She was kneeling over Simon. He (pause) he was a mess.

KCP: Could you be more specific?

MOORE: Yeah, just give me a second. I (pause) I wasn't sure he was alive. He looked so bad. I thought he might need CPR or something, but Cassie wouldn't let me touch him. She started screaming and swinging at me when I tried to find a pulse. I only met her once, but she looked at me like she didn't know who I was.

KCP: You're saying that Ms. Belford was fully conscious when you arrived?

MOORE: Yeah. I had to calm her down first, you know, I wanted her to know I was there to help. So I told her I was friends with Wes and we met at The Litigator. She stopped freaking out when I said that. Then I told her that the police were coming and that Simon would be okay. I was trying to convince both of us, I think. He was breathing, but it looked really bad. He's going to live, right? The paramedics said he was stable.

KCP: Mr. Idzik is also being treated. Did you see anyone else in the unit?

MOORE: You mean Doug? He'd been knocked out. Cassie and Simon were in the kitchen, near the fridge, but he was lying in the living room.

KCP: Hodge was unconscious when you arrived?

MOORE: Yeah. Why, what did he say happened?

KCP: Mr. Hodge is also being treated.

MOORE: Oh. Well, I can't say I'm sorry to hear that. What about Cassie and Simon? Are they here?

KCP: Just a moment, Peter. So, you and Ms. Melnyk didn't arrive until after the altercation took place?

MOORE: It looked like more than an altercation. It was a fucking attack. He attacked Wes, and now he's going after everyone else.

KCP: Answer the question please, Peter.

MOORE: Fuck. Sorry, can you repeat it?

. . .

(Page 5)

MELNYK: Come on, you seriously won't let me make a phone call? I thought I get one. That's what happens in the movies.

KCP: You're not under arrest.

MELNYK: Look, Wes needs to know what happened. If he doesn't have all the information, he might do something stupid.

KCP: What do you mean?

MELNYK: This is crazy. Please let me go call my friend.

KCP: Do you think that Weston is in danger?

MELNYK: Well I don't know because you won't let me call him.

KCP: Is Weston a threat to someone?

MELNYK: What? No, of course not. But men in love are idiots.

KCP: So, he's involved with one of the victims?

MELNYK: Sort of? I don't know. Cassie and Wes aren't really defined.

. . .

(Page 17)

KCP: What happened while you waited for the police?

MOORE: I don't know. We just waited. Tried to stay calm. I tried to look at Simon's chest, see how bad the damage was, but Cassie still wouldn't let me. The ambulance got there pretty quickly though. They used scissors to get his clothes off of him. Cassie had to be restrained.

KCP: Yes, we've noticed Ms. Belford is (pause) determined.

MOORE: Can I see her? It'd help if I saw her.

KCP: We still have questions for you, hang tight. How long have you known Mr. Idzik and Ms. Belford?

MOORE: I met Simon last year. He was in one of my classes. I met Cassie this year, about a month ago. She and my friend Wes have been talking all semester.

KCP: Weston Maguire?

MOORE: Yeah. Do you know if Lena was able to call him? He should probably know what's going on here.

KCP: That's really not our priority right now.

MOORE: Yeah, look, I get that, but he's stuck in Edmonton, and he's probably out of his mind right now.

KCP: Ms. Melnyk has already explained the relationship between Ms. Belford and Mr. Maguire.

MOORE: Complicated, huh?

. . .

(Page 40)

KCP DETECTIVE FOURTNAM: Could you state your name for the record?

CASSANDRA BELFORD: Cassandra Belford.

KCP: Could you tell me what happened between you, Mr. Idzik and Mr. Hodge, Cassandra?

BELFORD: Cassie, actually. What do you want to know exactly? Go slow. I'm on a lot of pain killers.

KCP: Well let's start with how Douglas Hodge entered your apartment.

BELFORD: I don't know. I was in my bedroom when he showed up, but I heard shouting coming from the front door, so I went to see what was happening.

KCP: Who was shouting?

BELFORD: Doug. And Simon. Is Simon still asleep? He shouldn't leave his hospital bed.

KCP: Yes, but I've been told that Mr. Idzik will wake up soon. Can you tell me what you heard them say?

BELFORD: I didn't catch all of it. I think you'd be better off asking Simon. Is Sarah with him?

KCP: Yes. And his mother. At what point did you get involved with the argument?

BELFORD: As soon as I realized who was at the door. I told Doug he needed to leave.

KCP: What did you say exactly? It's important you try to remember as many details as possible.

BELFORD: Okay. (pause) I told him to get the fuck out of my apartment.

KCP: Then what happened? Again, try to be detailed.

BELFORD: Doug said that he had the right to be there, and that he came to make sure I wasn't lying about him. They weren't lies. And I wasn't telling anybody, anyway. He said something about how Wes was angry that somebody else fucked me first (pause) I don't remember the exact words he used, but it was to that effect. He called me a lot of names and made a lot of comments on my sex life that I'd rather not repeat. It was all very uncivilized.

KCP: What is your connection to Douglas Hodge?

BELFORD: What, do you think he's my ex-boyfriend, or something?

KCP: I'd like to know how you would define your relationship to Mr. Hodge.

BELFORD: Okay. I wouldn't call it a relationship. He cornered me at a house party in September 2013. I was drunk. He fucked me. I didn't want him to fuck me. I think y'all have a name for that, don't you?

KCP: He---

BELFORD: Rape. He raped me. And no, I didn't do a kit and I didn't fill out a report. You're just going to have to believe me, I guess. Doug will probably tell you I'm making it up.

KCP: Did---

BELFORD: I'd actually prefer not to talk about it, thank you.

. . .

(Page 75)

KCP: Do you need a moment, Simon? Should I call your nurse?

IDZIK: Uh, no, I'm okay. I'm just a little dizzy. Not a fan of hospitals. Do you mind asking the question again?

KCP: How did Douglas Hodge enter your residence?

IDZIK: Oh. Right. It was my fault. I guess he saw me walking home, because he'd walked behind me for almost two blocks. I held the door open to the building for him, can you believe that? I figured he was a neighbour or something. But then I felt him behind me when I unlocked our front door, and realized it was someone else.

KCP: Did you tell him to leave?

IDZIK: Not at first. I asked him who he was. He told me, and he said he was looking for Cassie. Then I told him to leave.

KCP: How did he respond?

IDZIK: Not well.

KCP: Do you remember what he said?

IDZIK: He was angry. He said he was going to talk to Cassie. I told him no. He called her a whore. If I thought it would land, I would have hit him first.

KCP: But you didn't physically harm him?

IDZIK: No. Maybe I should have, but I just wanted him to leave. He sounded (pause) insane. I don't know, he didn't seem to care about any sort of consequences. I felt like he was dangerous. Hank, that's my dog, seemed to agree, because he was growling. Dogs are always right.

KCP: So, how did things escalate to violence?

IDZIK: It happened pretty quickly. He was yelling about entrapment, another thing he doesn't understand, and that's when I heard Cassie come out of her room. I (pause) I didn't know she was even home.

KCP: Go on.

IDZIK: Well, Cass didn't sound scared. She sounded pissed. She told him to get the fuck out. I was feeling a little shaky at that point, but not Cassie. She's strong. Doug said that he wasn't leaving until she admitted that she was lying about him. I can't remember all of it, he repeated himself a lot, you know? He said that her boyfriend had gone after him because she couldn't keep her legs closed. I remember that.

KCP: Boyfriend?

IDZIK: Weston Maguire. They're not together, but Doug didn't seem to have too many of the facts.

KCP: Let me clarify something; Ms. Belford and Mr. Hodge had a sexual encounter some time ago, and that's what prompted the altercation between Mr. Maguire and Mr. Hodge on April 18th?

IDZIK: Sexual encounter? He assaulted her in a bathroom. But that's for Cassie's to talk about, not me. She's made that clear. Maybe we should move on.

KCP: If it's relevant---

IDZIK: That's up to her, ma'am.

KCP: Fine. So, Ms. Belford came out of her bedroom. She and Hodge argued. Is that when it became a physical assault?

IDZIK: Yeah. Wait, no. (pause) Cassie said that if he didn't get out of the apartment, she would call the police. She was really calm and quiet when she said that, but not in a scared voice. It sounded like a threat. I think that made Doug more erratic. He said that she should be arrested for entrapment and defamation. I laughed when he said that. I was scared out of my mind, but it was so ridiculous. Defamation? Seriously? I told him, again, that he'd better leave. I said that the cops would love to arrest a rapist. (pause) Then he hit me.

. . .

(Page 20)

MOORE: Wait. You think Cassie did that to Doug? Have you seen him? Have you seen her? She's half his size. Doug's face was pretty messed up after he and Wes fought, but when I saw him in their apartment, he was (pause) totally fucked up. She couldn't have done all that.

. . .

(Page 49)

KCP: Cassie? Are you okay?

BELFORD: I need a second. (pause) Simon couldn't see how angry Doug was getting, and he didn't see his fist coming. But I did. I saw him wind up and strike, and then I heard Simon's head hit the ground. It was loud. I thought for sure his skull had cracked open. But the doctors said his head is gonna be okay. (pause) Concussion. A lot of internal bleeding. Punctured lung. Broken ribs and collarbone. Fractured tailbone.

KCP: Where in the residence did Hodge first strike Mr. Idzik?

BELFORD: It was near our front door, right outside the kitchen.

KCP: Is that when Mr. Idzik went unconscious?

BELFORD: No, he's tough. A lot tougher than me. He didn't get up right away, though. Then I threw a vase of lavender at him. It shattered on the doorframe. I think that's when Hank bit Doug. Did he need stitches? I hope he did. It looked like Hank got a good grip, and there was a lot of blood.

KCP: I'm not sure about the stitches. What happened after the dog bit Hodge?

BELFORD: Hank latched onto his arm, he was protecting Simon. Doug yelled and swore. He kicked Hank. Hard. (pause) Then I grabbed a speaker that Simon had spent a fortune on and threw it at his head.

KCP: Is that when Hodge went unconscious?

BELFORD: No. I missed. It just hit his back. Hank was scared. He went into the kitchen, behind the counter. The speaker was pretty heavy, it probably hurt, even if it didn't get him in the head. It's a good thing my aim wasn't so bad that I hit Hank.

KCP: Where were you at this point?

BELFORD: I was standing in the living room, next to the end table where the speaker had been sitting. Then Doug came at me. Oh, so that was when Simon got up. He kind of leaped at Doug. There'd been a lot of noise, but he found him. Simon was shouting at Doug, telling him what a disgusting piece of shit he was and that he should be locked up. It's like any restraint or sense of awareness disappeared from Doug's eyes. (pause) God.

KCP: Ms. Belford?

BELFORD: Doug took Simon down like it was nothing. It looked like he was trying to kill him. He hit him repeatedly (pause) in his midsection, occasionally in the head. Hard.

KCP: Do you need to take a break? Would you maybe like a tissue?

BELFORD: I could hear each hit, like it was happening in my ears. Every blow was so fucking loud. I didn't recognize my own screams. Doug was on top of Simon, pinning him down in the kitchen. He wasn't paying attention to anything anymore, so he didn't notice me. But, when he was on the ground and distracted by hurting Simon, I could finally do something. Make him stop. (unintelligible)

KCP: Was this when you got involved?

BELFORD: I thought he was going to kill my friend. I'm not sure how I managed to---(pause) Do you know those stories about mothers who find impossible strength when their children are in danger? They lift cars off infants, or whatever? It was like that. I'm not stupid, I know that I shouldn't have been able to do so much damage to a man that large. But alas, here we sit. I didn't really think about what I was going to do, and I couldn't recount the details for you now. I just wanted him to stop. I don't remember a lot of it.

KCP: Was there any retaliation on Hodge's part?

BELFORD: Obviously. This bruise on my cheek is new. His hand was twice as big as my head, but he only got me on the left side. Broke my nose when he punched me. All the cuts are courtesy of the exposed brick in our living room. (pause) Simon and I had thought that wall looked so modern, you know? Loved it. Now it's stained with bits of my forehead. The doctors said I'll probably have a few small scars when it heals. Maybe I'll get bangs.

KCP: How were you able to knock Hodge unconscious?

BELFORD: I'm not sure. Maybe when his head hit the coffee table? I did check to make sure I hadn't killed him. Does that count for anything?

. . .

(Page 25)

MOORE: She was crying a lot. She didn't say anything to me, except when I reached for Simon, you know, to try and help. She was talking through her tears, mostly to him, it was like I wasn't there.

KCP: Do you remember what she said?

MOORE: A lot of stuff. She apologized. She begged him to wake up. She kept saying that he was getting married. That he needed to wake up so he could get married. I don't know. It was hard to watch. I really thought he was going to die.

. . .

(Page 83)

IDZIK: Until this interview, Cassie hasn't left my side. Since we got here she's stayed. She made them stitch her up, set her hand, and assess her from my room. Even my mom took breaks to make calls and get food, same with my fiancée. But Cass stayed the whole time. The doctors told me that I'll need to do physio, but I'm going to be able to walk and everything at the end of it all. She probably saved my life.

KCP: I heard. From what I understand, Ms. Belford broke nearly every bone in her hand fighting for you. She's outside right now, and I believe she's getting a bit impatient.

. . .

(Page 67)

BELFORD: Can I ask you something?

KCP: Sure.

BELFORD: You see a lot of fucked up things, I assume, given your line of work. (pause) Do people come back from this? I mean (pause) is it possible to survive these sorts of events and move on from them? Go on to live normal lives, find someone, be happy?

KCP: I don't know if there's such a thing as normal, for anybody. But yes, I think you'll be surprised by what you're capable of getting through.

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