Story of murderer Evelyn Dick enthralled and enraged Hamilton
The discovery of John Dick's body on March 16, 1946 was the start of a salacious tale that burns with unanswered questions today.
After being reported missing for several days, HSR worker John Dick's torso by the side of the Mountain near Albion Falls. This set off a series of trials of Dick's estranged wife, Evelyn, her father, Donald MacLean, and her boyfriend, Bill Bohozuk.
Dick was convicted of murder and sentenced to hang but the verdict was successfully appealed and she was acquitted in a second trial. In a subsequent trial in 1947, Dick was convicted of manslaughter in the death of her baby son, Peter David White.
His body was found by police in a suitcase encased in cement at her home. She received a life sentence, but was paroled from Kingston Penitentiary for Women in 1958. Dick's father, MacLean, was sentenced to five years for being an accessory after the fact in a murder. Bohozuk was cleared of all charges.
There have been many grisly murders in Hamilton over its 170 years but people across the country became captivated by such a young, attractive woman being involved in an unimaginable, grotesque crime. As well, there was prurient interest, as details emerged about her sexual adventures with prominent members of the community.
But more than that there was her success at going into hiding with a new identity after her release on parole in 1958. If she was alive today, she would be 100 years old.
The murder weapon
A .32-calibre, five-shot handgun used to kill John Dick was found at Donald MacLean's house on Rosslyn Avenue. It is now kept in a display case in the Hamilton Police trailer used as a travelling department museum.
John Dick
Born: May 25, 1906, in Halbstadt, Russia.
Died: Last reported seen at the Windsor Hotel at King William and John streets in Hamilton on the afternoon of March 6, 1946, where he ordered soup, pie and coffee.
Background: Arrived in Ontario in 1924 with his parents, one of numerous German-speaking Mennonites fleeing the Russian Revolution. His family lived in the Vineland-Beamsville area.
In the 1940s, John moved to Hamilton for work. In June 1943, he landed a job with the HSR as a bus and streetcar driver.
Married: On Oct. 4, 1945, he married Evelyn MacLean in a small ceremony, against the wishes of her parents. The couple fought incessantly about indiscretions with other partners and money. Within days of the marriage, she told police, she slept with her boyfriend, Bill Bohozuk, and after three months, John and Evelyn separated.
At the time of his death in 1946, he was living with his cousins, Alex and Ann Kammerer, at 215 Gertrude St., off Gage Avenue North.
After his death: John's torso was discovered March 16, 1946, half a mile north of Albion Falls on the side of the escarpment. Pathologist Dr. William Deadman concluded Type O blood found in a 1938 Packard - frequently borrowed by Evelyn - was his. As well, he testified bone fragments and teeth found in furnace ashes at Evelyn's house on Carrick Avenue likely belonged to John.
Cause of death: The torso had two superficial bullet wounds in the chest that would not have killed him. The pathologist said John's cause of death was likely a gunshot to the head, something that could not be proven because the head was incinerated along with his limbs. It's believed the torso was too difficult to cut through and would not fit in the stove, which led to the decision to dump the remains in a secluded area.
Evelyn Dick
Born: Oct. 13, 1920, in Beamsville. She moved to Hamilton with her parents when she was an infant.
Died: Unknown if alive or dead. She would be 100 if alive today.
Background: Attended Memorial High School, Canada Business College and Loretto Academy Private School. She was an escort or prostitute, always having money for lavish clothes, parties and presents. She apparently made the down payment for the Carrick Avenue house herself.
Children: Evelyn Dick had three known pregnancies.