CBC series will show LPS techniques used to solve murder
‘THE DETECTIVES’ AIRS ON THURSDAY
Lethbridge Police Sgt. Ryan Stef and his investigation into the murder of 78-year-old Irene Carter will be featured on the CBC true crime series, “The Detectives” on Thursday.
The episode titled “Out of Lies” features a dramatic reenactment of the case where Irene Carter was found murdered in her Normandy Road South home in 2016. The case drew attention as it initially appeared the grandmother was the victim of a robbery gone wrong, but as the investigation progressed, Stef and members of the LPS Violent Crimes Unit began to unravel a web of lies that implicated the senior’s own daughter as the murderer.
“A researcher for the show gave me a phone call and started off by asking a few questions, then we set up a Skype interview and then went through a recorded interview to give to the producers of the show,” says Stef. “As a cop, my first instinct was that this has to be some kind of a scam, but once I did some research on the show, and I have seen the show, it is truly exciting. I am very happy that we were to come to the conclusion that we did and through the investigation that it is, it is something that can educate officers as well as the public.”
Lisa Freihaut was charged and ultimately pled guilty to second-degree murder in 2018, as she continues to serve her life sentence. A large reason for CBC producers to be drawn to the homicide case was the prominent factor of gambling being the main motive behind the homicide. Stef says it was not only a unique case for them to handle, but was also a good learning tool for other police departments and the public to learn about the dangers of gambling addictions.
“It focuses the importance of the power and the strength a gambling addiction can have on people, to the point where someone was willing to commit murder to get away with their addiction, but also willing to murder their mother,” says Sgt. Stef. “I have been able to present this case through homicide conferences in Red Deer, as well as in Niagara Falls, so it is one of those cases that has enough to learn from for other officers as well as it has the interest factor for the show.”
“The Detectives” episode will depict the different and creative techniques the police used to uncover the truth during the long-term investigation. A big part of the investigation that will be reenacted is the live press conference where Freihaut provided evidence on live television to help convict her.
“The investigation itself was a long-term project and it involved a wire where we had to do a number of stims to get the evidence and get some behaviour and actions out of our accused, as well as people around the case,” says Stef. “That was a huge part of the investigation. The news conference in Calgary at that time we knew that Lisa was a suspect and she volunteered to do this for us, and out of that conference we were able to gain evidence and information from the pubic. We could prove Lisa had committed the homicide, but we could also pull people out of our investigative hat to say that they were not part of the homicide as well.”
CBC’s “The Detectives” is an investigative re-enactment documentary series that shows depictions of crimes and interviews with Stef to showcase the investigation and the tactics used to solve the case. Actor Sasha Roiz plays Stef and Cat Lemieux portrays Freihaut.
“They will see me on screen because I have an interview. There is some narration for the scenes on what is happening,” says Stef. “CBC gathered their information through interviews with me, as well as from all of the court documents that were released. All of the information that they have gathered about the case is true information.”
Stef has been with the Lethbridge Police Service for 23 years and is currently the sergeant in charge of the Training Unit. At the time of the Carter homicide, he was a detective in the Violent Crimes Unit. “The Detectives — Out of Lies” will air Thursday on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service.
Follow @GBobinecHerald on Twitter