deadmonton 2006 - nadine robinson-creary
Nadine Robinson-Creary, 35, was found dead July 20th, 2006.
Case status is open and active.
At about 7:00 p.m. on the evening of July 20th, 2006 paramedics were called to a condominium at 3203 139 Avenue in northeast Edmonton.
Upon arrival they found an unconscious woman who was not breathing and had no pulse.
The body was found by relatives who called emergency services. Early reports suggested the woman appeared to have been dead for several hours.
There were no obvious signs of foul play but some evidence in the home, described as "red flags" by a police spokesman, led to homicide detectives being called in at about 7:30 p.m.
Interviewed at the scene, Inspector Dan Jones said, "Homicide detectives are usually there for a good reason."
"I think it was her brother and son who came in and found her," a distraught neighbour told the Edmonton Sun. "It sounds like she was murdered."
An autopsy held July 21st, 2006 determined the cause of death was homicide.
Police identified the woman as Nadine Robinson-Creary but withheld the exact cause of death as key investigative information had come from autopsy results.
Robinson-Creary's murder was Edmonton's 15th homicide of the year.
A neighbour told the Edmonton Sun that Wayne Creary, Nadine's husband, told him he had gone out and left his wife alone at home.
Two Caucasian men were seen lurking in the area afterwards, he said.
Another neighbour told the Edmonton Journal she heard strange noises coming from the Creary's back yard about six hours before the body was found.
She heard a scuffle, the loud slam of a door and then laughter from what she described as a few teenage boys.
Nadine's brother, Kevin Robinson, and her stepson, Kemol, 17, made the discovery of her body.
"I didn't need to see what I saw when I walked through the door," Kevin told the Edmonton Sun. "I didn't need to see my sister the way I saw her." He declined to elaborate on what he saw.
Nadine's other son, 14-year-old son Stephen, was vacationing in New York. He was flown back to Edmonton.
In an unusual development the evening of the murder, the Sun reported Nadine's husband Wayne was walloped by a punch thrown by Wayne's brother-in-law Courtney Robinson because he thought Wayne was responsible for the death of his sister.
"I was pissed off," Courtney later told the Sun. "I felt like he should have been there to protect her or something."
Residents of the Park Hills condo complex were described as blue collar -- couples without children or single parents and their kids. Shift work was common, leading to little interaction between neighbours.
But word of Robinson-Creary's death had folks talking about a break-in at a nearby home that had occured just recently.
Neighbours said the Creary family was tight-knit and attended church on a regular basis. No arguments were ever heard coming from the home since the family moved in about three years ago. Nadine had reconciled with her husband in 2005 following a 13-year separation.
Nadine was born in Jamaica and came to Canada when she was 13. She became a licensed practical nurse in 1989 and had worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital since 1999. She recently became a casual employee.
The four-foot-11 woman had nine brothers and sisters, six of whom live in the United States.
"Nadine was definitely well adored by her co-workers, so they took it hard," Lana Chivers, program manager of the medicine department, told the Journal.
"She was absolutely adored by patients she served."
Nadine Robinson-Creary's murder took place a year and a week after another Royal Alex nurse, Liana White, was murdered by her husband.
It was reported Nadine's husband and teenaged sons were so shaken by the incident that they left the family home to stay with relatives.
Robinson-Creary's death came on the same day a Statistics Canada report was released proclaiming Edmonton as the murder capital of Canada.
On July 28th, 2006 a standing-room-only crowd of over 400 attended a memorial to Nadine Robinson-Creary at the Shiloh Baptist Church at 10727 114 Street.
The service was delayed as one of the bereaved, who was also expected to sing at the ceremony, did not arrive as expected.
Nadine's husband, Wayne Creary, did not appear at the ceremony.
There was no explanation for his absence from family.
Mourners applauded and shouted in agreement as the pastor presiding over the funeral sent a message to her killer.
"I don't know whether they are here, but ... you didn't just kill Nadine, you killed an anointed servant of God," warned Bishop Cedric Francis.
"Let me say this to the person who has done this, the quicker you give up yourself is the lesser the vengeance of God will be on you. Turn yourself in
Kevin Robinson, Nadine's brother, reflected on the difficulty the family faces while Nadine's killer remains free.
"It's frustrating," said Robinson. "We won't have any closure until we know what happened."
On July 30th, 2006 the Edmonton Sun spoke to Wayne Creary about the slaying of his wife and his absence from her funeral.
Creary said he had nothing to do with her death, and was putting his faith in God and city police to bring those responsible to justice.
During an exclusive interview with the Sun carried out in a north-side hotel, Creay said, "You can hide things from man but you can't hide things from God ... and God is my judge."
"People can say what they want ... if you know your hands are clean and your heart is clean, you're serving someone greater than man."
Creary explained that during his 13-year separation from Nadine he lived in Jamaica, a time about which he would not comment.
Wayne was reported to be absent from his wife's funeral but insists he attended the service in secrecy.
He stated he did so because of his overwhelming grief and a desire to avoid confrontation with other family members.
"I went to the viewing early to have time alone with her," he said. "My wife didn't look anything like I remembered ... I didn't want to go in and have to look at her another time."
He added, "I was at a location where I could see (and hear) what was happening."
"I honoured Nadine the best way I could - that is to stay out of whatever conflict, whatever allegation. She was a peacemaker, not someone that made conflict."
"[Her ]heart as big as the universe. She didn't deserve to die like that."
Creary said police have been "doing an awesome job."
"Whatever they have to do to put whoever did this behind bars, I'm all for it. I want whoever did this to her to be punished."
"I could use anger and say the ways I'd love to see ... but it's not for me to judge what is fitting for this person. I just want justice served. Let the law take its course."
As for returning to the townhouse where her body was found Creary said, "The kids can't (stay there). I can't." The boys are currently staying with family.
"It's what's best for them, but we do talk very often."
About his loss Creary said, "I guess I just want closure. God is the person I'm relying on to work everything out. And let the police do their job. They're very good at what they do."
Speaking to CTV Edmonton, Creay refuted claims about abuse in the relationship. He said he feared attending the ceremony would divert the media spotlight and he wanted to keep story focused on catching her killer.
In a side story the Sun quoted Nadine's brother, Kevin Robinson, as saying about the police investigation, “They must have something or else they would have gone to the public."
“I’m waiting and hoping and I hope I’m not waiting on false hopes,” Robinson said.
On September 16th, 2006 the Edmonton Sun contacted the Robinson family for an update to the case.
Antonette Robinson, Nadine's mother, told the Sun police had made little headway since they began their investigation two months earlier.
“We haven’t heard any updates from police, but we do stay in touch with them regularly,” Robinson told the Sun.
Police had not named any suspects and were still withholding cause of death as part of their investigation.
“It’s hard, but I’d rather the police take their time investigating than make any hasty decisions,” Robinson said.