A Random Encounter

Global News Senior Crime Reporter Nancy Hixt, has been covering stories of senseless and horrific violence for 30 years. . This season she'll take you inside shocking cases that show how careless people can be with human life. And what happens when greed and selfishness take over. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they’re not Crime Beat. Season 8 drops April 21st but you can hear the first story one month early - only on Amazon Music. https://music.amazon.ca/podcasts/da11ab35-08e1-4cf0-9f43-0eff9aa23b31/crime-beat Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They each met him online and knew him only as 'Bruce.' He gained their trust, only to turn on them when they were at their most vulnerable. In this episode, two men reveal their near-death experiences at the hands of notorious serial killer Bruce McArthur. The exclusive details of their 9-1-1 call that led to McArthur being questioned by police, but later released, and ultimately going on to kill two more people. The terrifying revelations about what McArthur was planning for them, discovered only after McArthur's arrest. And the detective who finally connected the dots. Catherine McDonald reports on this story of grief and guilt - and a haunting question: could lives have been saved if McArthur was caught sooner? Premiered Feb 20, 2021 For more info, please go to ⁠https://globalnews.ca/tag/crime-beat/⁠ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: ⁠https://youtu.be/87RBEw6sTg8?si=RGDoMRXXAn_3xevi ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

64-year-old Annie Hang-Kam Chiu was looking forward to retirement when she was viciously murdered. Within approximately three hours, her killer had turned himself in. The accused surrendered to the police carrying a type of homemade-looking bomb-like device… but what investigators would uncover went far beyond one homicide – the case would lead them into the dark world of international terrorism. Premiered Oct 28, 2022 For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/tag/crime-beat/ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: https://youtu.be/CS8tQy6dqck?si=pmYifMKNiNl0OcM3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Police say they won’t quit until they find Sonia Varaschin’s killer. The investigation into the 42-year-old nurse’s death began when she didn’t show up for work at a Mississauga pharmaceutical company. Her remains were discovered a week later in Caledon, approximately 12 kilometres from her home. Investigators say she was “brutally murdered in her residence” in Orangeville. But Sonia’s family questions why it’s taking so long to make an arrest. Will new leads solve this 10-year-old cold case? Premiered Oct 17, 2020 For more info, please go to ⁠https://globalnews.ca/tag/crime-beat/⁠ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: ⁠https://youtu.be/Lu34bMiZVKI?si=HdKNA1wsfIePmjvR ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a dispute outside a Toronto tavern between a jealous boyfriend and several gang members ends in a hail of gunfire, a young woman new to the city is killed. Four others are wounded, including a woman who discovers she’s pregnant when doctors try to remove the bullet. Another wounded man nearly dies trying to protect the killer. And the missing gun turns up in an unrelated crime. Premiered Mar 17, 2023 For more info, please go to ⁠https://globalnews.ca/tag/crime-beat/⁠ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: ⁠https://youtu.be/9WyS-suuf4Y?si=bh1l8uBRfZcLFcCQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1983, Susan Tice, a 45-year-old mother of four was found raped and stabbed to death in her Toronto home. Four months later, across town, 22-year-old Erin Gilmour returns home from work and is attacked the same way. The women didn’t know each other, and both cases remained unsolved for decades. In 2000, DNA profiles from each crime proved their attacker was the same man – but didn’t reveal his identity. It would take another 20 years, but thanks to genetic genealogy research, the killer was arrested, charged and convicted, bringing a measure of closure for the victims’ families. Premiered May 10, 2024 For more info, please go to ⁠https://globalnews.ca/tag/crime-beat/⁠ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: ⁠https://youtu.be/6h7V1agmcoQ?si=c3aAa9tsAa3drLky ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In May of 2007, 15 year old Jordan Manners was gunned down in a hallway at C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, marking the first time a student was shot and killed inside a Toronto school. Catherine McDonald looks back at the murder, its impact on the community and his family, and how this tragic story led to a major review of school safety procedures. Premiered Apr 25, 2020 For more info, please go to ⁠⁠https://globalnews.ca/news/6826381/legacy-of-jordan-manners/⁠ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: ⁠⁠ https://youtu.be/W7reINgAdqI?si=EquL6wh0h2YSqTO6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Driving home from work, Royi Flescher could never have imagined what he was about to encounter. And when Soula Berdoussis pulled over, she thought she was stopping to help at the scene of a car accident. What unfolded next would change them forever – as they found two women brutally stabbed, taking their last breaths lying at the side of a busy Toronto thoroughfare. Reporter Catherine McDonald takes us back to that fateful day in late August 2022 and hears from these eyewitnesses about coming face-to-face with the killer. But it wasn’t until they testified at his trial that they’d learn the full disturbing details of what led up to that day. Premiered May 18, 2025 For more info, please go to ⁠https://globalnews.ca/tag/crime-beat/⁠ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: ⁠   / crimebeattv   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Alicia Ross disappeared, it led to one of the biggest missing person searches in Ontario’s history. Reporter Catherine McDonald reconnected with Alicia’s mother to tell her story as part of the TV documentary series, inspired by the podcast.. For more info, please go to ⁠https://globalnews.ca/news/6761496/al...⁠ Subscribe to Crime Beat TV HERE: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@CrimeBeatTV Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a senior crime reporter for Global News for almost 30 years, Nancy Hixt has been lucky enough to work with some amazing journalists. She's working hard on the next season but until then she has a special series of Crime Beat for you. In each episode, you’ll ride along with Catherine McDonald, one of her colleagues from the Crime Beat TV documentary series, as she takes you deep inside the cases she’s worked on. Please join us for these special episodes by following Crime Beat on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices