Mérika Béland – Lions' Log

May

13

2021

Mr. List

2020-2021, Culture, True Crime

Could murder be justified as an act of love? Well, according to Mr. List, love was enough to justify killing his mother, wife and three children. Who was Mr. List? Mr. List was not born a murderer. In fact, he lived an honest life until his late thirties. In 1965, he moved to Westfield, New Jersey with his mother, wife, daughter and two sons. Due to List’s success, they lived in an 18-room mansion. He was the vice president of a nearby bank and he went to church every Sunday with his family. He was the perfect portrait of an…

Mar

30

2021

By Mérika Béland

The “Death Mountain”

Culture, True Crime

Disclaimer: This article contains information that might trigger some people. Thrills are feelings that make humans feel alive. Many like to push their limits to experience those thrills. Unfortunately, mixed with a lack of judgement, it can become fatal to anybody. This is what happened to a group of nine Russian hikers in 1959. Context The leader of the expedition group was Igor Dyatlov. He was a radio engineering student at the Ural Polytechnical Institute, and he was 23 years old at the time of the accident. His group was composed of eight men and two women who were all…

Feb

25

2021

By Mérika Béland

A Deadly Obsession

Culture, True Crime

Because it includes Valentine’s Day, the month of February is known as the month of love. Of course, the 14th of February has already gone by, but for all the fans of True Crime stories out there, don’t you think that it is the perfect time for a gruesome love story? Well, here is the tragic love story between Emma Walker and Riley Gaul. High School Sweethearts It all started when the lovely cheerleader Emma Walker and the talented football player Riley Gaul fell in love. Their relationship began in 2014, when Emma was fourteen and a freshman in high…

Feb

01

2021

By Mérika Béland

Canada’s Darkest Secret

Opinions

Trigger warning: This article presents shocking and disturbing content. October 1969, the first victim: Gloria Levina Moody, a member of the Bella Coola Indian Reserve of the Nuxalk Nation. Beaten and assaulted before she was left bleeding to death, her murderer showed no mercy. Was she targeted because she corresponded to the disgusting ideals of a deranged man, or was she simply killed because of her ethnicity? The Highway of Tears It is a segment of Highway 16 situated between the towns of Prince Rupert and Prince George in British Columbia. The “Highway of Tears” was named as such by…