"The Dexter Killer": Newly revealed letters offer a rare look After cursorily shoving aside my human sensibilities, I dealt with his remains in a disrespectful manner that traumatized me forever.". Steve Lillibuen: The first time I met him, he actually had me laughing. While Twitchell was not initially a suspect, he told cops an unlikely story that Altinger sold his Mazda 6 to him for 40 Canadian dollars. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. I have to come forward.". Gary Altinger: I just thought right away after I had read this, that's gotta be the weirdest message I've ever received. In 2007, Twitchell directed Star Wars: Secrets Of The Rebellion, a full-length fan film prequel to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Twitchell On October 3, 2008, Gilles Tetreault followed directions to a location in Edmonton where he was supposed to meet a woman named "Sheena" he met online. Renee [reading Facebook message]: "We all have a dark side, some darker than others and you're not the only one to relate to Dexter. After this, the actor who played Dexter stated he did not think Dexter glamorized a serial killer. It just so happened that the police were looking for Johnny Altinger's red Mazda. And since I was close to the lake, "You rent a boat and dump her out in the middle of Lake Erie. Twitchell even ran a Facebook page where he wrote about the episodes from Dexters point of view. In SK Confessions, he wrote that though the crimes were not a copy-cat [of] the style of Dexter Morgan, he still wanted to pay homage to the character. And to Steve Lillebuen, who corresponded extensively with Twitchell for his book, The Devils Cinema: The Untold Story Behind Mark Twitchells Kill Room, Twitchell said, As youre aware, Dexter has almost nothing to do with my case. Gilles Tetreault: I wasn't really afraid of him at that time. He had a table set up for his victims. Here's a few words from the director Mark Twitchell. WebMark Andrew Twitchell (born July 4, 1979) is a Canadian filmmaker convicted of first-degree murder in April 2011 for the murder of John Brian Altinger. Gilles Tetreault: At first, I was in shock. Jimmy Siokos tells "48 Hours Mystery" about what it was like to work with Mark Twitchell on a "Star Wars" fan film. Mark is often referred to as the Dexter Killer because of his fond love and personal identification with the lead character, Dexter Morgan. That's changed slightly I now know that you killed John Altinger. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Police say Twitchell was fascinated by the fictional character in the hit Showtime series "Dexter." Though Twitchell claimed that the death of Johnny Altinger in October 2008 was self-defense and that hed only been trying to film a movie a movie about luring men to a garage and killing them police found a script hed tried to delete describing the murder scene in precise, chilling detail. Bill Clark: One of the things they had found was a hockey maskthe "SK Confessions" talked about how Mark Twitchell had worn this mask when he attacked both victims. Troy Roberts [outside Twitchell's garage]: What was the most damning piece of evidence that you discovered? So, we thought, "Well, maybe if we drive him around and we'll put a camera on him, maybe he'll just we'll just take him to places," 'cause we had no idea where where Johnny remains were at that time. Tetreault fought back in a violent struggle and escaped the horrific scene, but didn't report the attack until seeing the hockey mask at a police press conference following Altinger's death. But the question remains was Twitchell inspired to kill by the TV show? And to Lillibuen's surprise, even behind bars Twitchell was able to feed his obsessions. Mark Twitchell : The Dexter Copycat - YouTube Once he arrived, police believe that Twitchell hit him over the head with a pipe, stabbed him to death, and then dismembered his body. DET. Troy Roberts: What are you thinking when you hear that? It has no bearing whatsoever on what actually happened., Twitchell added, There is no root cause no school bully or impressionably gory movies or video game violence or Showtime television series to point the finger at. A jury didnt buy it. Twitchell posed as a woman on dating site Plenty of Fish and arranged to meet John Altinger, 38, on On October 3, 2008, Gilles Tetreault drove to a garage in Edmonton, believing that he was about to meet a woman named Sheena whom hed met on a dating site called PlentyOfFish. That piece of tooth matched up to our victim. Twitchell stabbed and bludgeoned his victim before cutting him up and partially burning the body. Web1.8M views 3 years ago Mark Twitchell was a film maker from Canada, who, one day, decided he wanted to turn one of his short films into a reality. He worked as a Canadian filmmaker and was convicted of first-degree murder in April 2011. Steve Lillibuen: still is adamant that this was not a planned and deliberate murder and to be frank, he is wrong. No root cause If I really were capable of premeditated murder Normal, healthy, well-adjusted 30-year-old men I once heard the legend of another worthy victim I dealt with his remains in a disrespectful manner that traumatized me forever psychopathic serial killer I quickly grew to resent and hate this man. Then, the Dexter Killer lured his victims in. She thinks she knows what made Twitchell tick. It has no bearing whatsoever on what actually happened. Mark Twitchell In 2008, John Brian Altinger, 38-year-old former White Rock, B.C., oilfield equipment manufacturer known to his friends as Johnny, interacted with Mark on the dating website Plenty of Fish. Mark Twitchell was a Canadian filmmaker with big dreams and a production of a Star Wars prequel. He was also lured in the same manner as Altinger. Mark Twitchell For detectives in the Edmonton Police Department, the disappearance of Johnny Altinger was a mystery in more ways than one. The document was retrieved from Marks laptop despite being deleted. And Mark Twitchell's explaining, "Oh, no, that's my movie prop. He had no job. This time Bill Clark conducted the interview. What Tetreault didn't realize was that he had been weakened by the effects of a stun baton. Once Johnny went to the concerned place, Mark stepped him, before cutting him apart, partially burning him and then dumping his remains in garbage bags into a storm sewer. Extra: Jimmy Siokos on Mark Twitchell - CBS News Steve Lillibuen: Yes absolutely. In 2023, Twitchell will be eligible to apply for early parole. "I'd ask him one question and I'd get 10 pages back as an answer.". Mark Twitchell was nothing like author Steve Lillibuen expected. GILLES TETREAULT [police interview]: After this all happened, I realized how lucky I was. Lillibuen said: "He wrote me probably 30 or 35 different letters - up to about 350 pages like an entire book worth. Julia Cowley: And while he's technically not a serial killer he was headed in that direction if they hadn't have caught him. He lunged at his assailant and grabbed his weapon then realized that he was holding a plastic gun. Steve Lillibuen: So, the motive is the mystery, the why did he do this. MARK ANSTEY [to reporters, holding up hockey mask]: We have some details on this male victim who was attacked, and we would like him to come forward. In June 2010, as Mark Twitchell prepared to take the stand at his trial and argue that he had "accidentally" killed Johnny Altinger in self-defense, he decided to finally disclose the location of Altinger's body. Bill Clark: So, I know that this diary we have is true. This is the story of my progression into becoming a, . It contained all details about Marks planning, failed attempts, successful attempts and even the process of how he dismembered the body and disposed of the remains., Joe Metheny: The Baltimore Cannibal Who Turned Human Victims Into Hamburgers, Did You Know That A Woman Started Fathers Day? His case gained extensive media coverage. You know, we had a lot in common. His unease only escalated when police asked him about that allegedly fake movie blood they spotted in the garage. Bill Clark: It was just a huge piece of evidence 'cause not only would it verify what was written in "SK Confessions" it would also have a living witness so it was paramount that we find this person. So anything you guys have in this, or if you've ever even heard of it, post away, because I have no idea what this is. Det. Twitchell himself admitted to killing Altinger and authoring the document but he stated that he did it in self-defence. Det. "SK Confessions" described the killer finally choosing a sewer to dump the remains, but that's where the pages stopped. Police believed Mark Twitchell's garage resembled a scene right out of the Showtime series "Dexter." Which is a it's actually a full-blown feature that's actually gonna have a decent budget in the neighborhood of about three-and-a-half million . The police, not believing this story, impounded Twitchell's laptop and car, and found Altinger's blood in the car's trunk. No warning signs that something like this was on the horizon. The show follows the adventures of Dexter Morgan, a blood-spatter expert by day and psychotic knife-wielding vigilante butcher by night. Voluntarily, the amateur filmmaker came down to the Edmonton Police Station to speak with detectives. Julia Cowley: I think he identified with Dexter to some degree. DET. Stars Wars stuff all over the unit, but hey, whatever people collect, they collect.". Residents saw him flee the building, chased by a man wearing a hockey mask that was decorated in slashes of black and gold. Talking to CBS, the author called Twitchells insistence that Dexter had nothing to do with his crimes ridiculous and a logical disconnect.. Once again, the victim believed he had met a woman on PlentyOfFish and followed her online instructions to Twitchells garage. filmmaking. Mark Twitchell | Wannabe Serial Killer TheForce.Net - Fan Films - Secrets Of The Rebellion Heward left the garage film set unharmed but rattled. There is no key. CBS News 48 Hours The Dexter Killer aired on April 23, 2022. "I wanted the weapon used for the deed itself to be simple, elegant and beautiful.". Gilles Tetreault: He's about 6 foot and this black and gold hockey mask painted all painted up on his face. Bill Clark: It's a missing persons case. Mark Twitchell tells police about the deal he got on a red Mazda. Julia Cowley: He's not killing bad guys. It read "I went through great lengths to bring my wife over to the comfortable belief I wasn't cheating on her.". The strange story about the red car, the serial killer movie being filmed for Clark it could only mean one thing.