True Crime Junkie

TRUE CRIME JUNKIE

WITH JOHNNY FLETCHER

MARK TWITCHELL: WANNABE SERIAL KILLER

Anyone familiar with the Showtime series Dexter should find the case of wannabe serial killer Mark Twitchell quite fascinating. The former Canadian filmmaker was inspired by the lead character and dark tone of the show and longed to experience the thrill of the kill - with the intent of becoming a serial killer. But thankfully, his career in murder was cut short, ultimately derailed by the first targeted victim, Gilles Tetreault, who would tell a remarkable tale of survival to detectives and lead them to the truth about the Dexter Morgan-worshipping sociopath. Sadly, John Altinger also fell prey to Twitchell's deception and paid with his life.

The events of this unique case took place back in 2008 in Edmonton, Alberta, where Twitchell had been building a pseudo film career - first with Star Wars: Secrets of the Rebellion, a fulllength fan film prequel that he directed (it never saw release), followed by Day Players, a buddy comedy, as well as a horror short called House of Cards. He clearly fancied himself a mover and shaker in the local entertainment scene and often talked a big game but had yet to achieve any notable success. Little did anyone know, however, that Twitchell harbored a much darker ambition.

A sociopath to the core, Twitchell was incapable of empathy, only concerned about his own desires - primarily, murder. But he needed a victim to set his devious plan in motion. So Twitchell uploaded a fake profile on Plenty of Fish, a Canadian online dating service, posing as "Sheena" to lure an unsuspecting individual to his lair. Gilles Tetreault, new to the area and having recently suffered a heartbreaking divorce, was a prime target. Eager to meet new people, he quickly became entrapped in Twitchell's web after connecting with "Sheena" online - and nearly met his demise on their first "date," assaulted the moment he, per instructions, entered a garage off of an alley to get to her back door. A battle of survival straight out of the movies ensued with Tetreault narrowly escaping yet failing to report the harrowing incident to police out of sheer embarrassment.

Unfortunately, John Altinger would not be so lucky. Also lured to the now infamous garage by the promise of a date with a beautiful and engaging woman, he was killed and dismembered by Twitchell who placed his remains in a storm sewer - and then wrote

PICTURED: MARK TWITCHELL

about the horrific event (as well as the previous misadventure with Tetreault), detailing the experience in a document titled "SK Confessions," an account of his descent into becoming a serial killer. It's believed he hoped to publish the story as a fictional work or use it as a basis for a film project; however, Twitchell would never get the chance. After learning of Altinger's terrible fate, Tetreault, completely guilt-ridden, finally came forward and gave detectives vital info that led to the arrest and conviction of this wannabe serial killer.