james douglas foley › deadmonton 2007 › deadmonton › edmonton

WARNING

James Douglas Foley, 42, was stabbed to death September 4th, 2007.

Foley was Edmonton's twenty-third homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

Just after noon on September 4th, 2007 a paramedic was in his Paramedic Response Unit in a parking lot across Stadium Road from Clarke Park waiting between calls when he heard loud noises.

"He heard some smacking or smashing, like a popping sound," said Edmonton police Insp. Teri Uhryn. "He came over to see what was happening."

As the paramedic drove up to an older Plymouth Horizon in the Clarke Park parking lot another car, a red four-door, drove away. Sitting bleeding behind the wheel of the Plymouth was a man in his 40s or 50s.

The paramedic backed away from the scene and waited for police and additional emergency personnel to arrive.

"At this point we don't know how he was injured," Insp. Uhryn said adding, “he's got a bunch of holes in him."

"We came to the scene and we took him away and approximately two hours later or thereabouts he passed."

Media reports emerged the man had been stabbed multiple times and showed signs of defending himself against at least one attacker. It was likely he died from massive blood loss.

When authorities arrived the man was inside the Horizon with British Columbia license plates.

While blood could be seen on the inside of the windshield ...

... it was also outside the car smeared down the driver's door.

Items belonging to either the victim or the suspect(s) were strewn on the lot and surrounding area. A hammer and a pair of scissors lay beside the back wheel, and a cellphone and a baseball cap were found nearby.

It was learned police put out a bulletin for officers to be on the lookout for a red vehicle bearing hammer marks. Insp. Uhryn said two witnesses were interviewed.

"What we believe to be a really good witness was one of the EMS members that was sitting in the parking lot on the other side."

The officer said police suspect the murder was the result of a drug deal gone bad but discounted the killing was gang-related.

"We're speculating on a whole bunch of things right now. We're theorising on what could be – what may be the reason for this."

CBC Edmonton quoted Lynn Berzin who told police she saw a man and a woman come out of the parked car.

On September 6th police released details of an autopsy that revealed that 42-year-old James Douglas Foley died as a result of blood loss due to multiple stab wounds.

Foley was from British Columbia but police could not specify an exact location.

James Douglas Foley - Edmonton Sun image

The Edmonton Sun spoke to James Foley's brother, Jay Foley, at his home in Kaslo, British Columbia.

Jay said his brother recently came to Alberta looking to make money in the province's oilpatch, and was supposed to be on his way to a job interview in Grande Prairie at the time he was murdered.

"That was his intention – to land a job," Jay told the Sun, adding his brother was "hardworking" and a "good person."

"It's very sad. We're a close family."

James was single, something he had long hoped to change according to his brother. "It was one of his quests in life to meet a good lady and have kids," said Jay.

James Foley contacted a friend three days before he was found stabbed. He had been staying Rhonda Remple for several months and left to come to Alberta while she and her husband were away.

"He said, 'Hey, I'm going to be back in a few weeks when I get time off. Don't act like I'm not coming back,' " Remple recalled him saying.

Remple said Foley planned to stay with her son in Grande Prairie. "Why he got derailed in Edmonton, I don't understand that," she said.

Reacting to police statements that Foley's murder was drug-related, Remple said she doubted James was involved in drugs since he had gotten off an addiction to pain medication several years ago.

"He was clean and sober for several years and he was helping out all kinds of people," said Remple. The woman explained Foley's addictions began following a plane crash he was in about 10 years ago.

Once known as Clarke Stadium, Clarke Park is at 109A Avenue along Stadium Road. The parking lot is south of Commonwealth Stadium.

As details of the homicide emerged, attention was focused on the actions of the paramedic who first came upon the scene.

The man was sitting in a Paramedic Response Unit, one of four SUVs deployed by the city in May 2007. The units are intended to give primary care until more fully equipped ambulances arrive.

In the case of the Clark Park murder, the paramedic pulled back from the scene to wait for police, a process called "staging."

"He was suspicious of some folks in the area," said EMS chief Steve Rapanos. "Paramedics respond right in the middle of some very volatile situations. We won't compromise their safety."

"Police were on scene within seven minutes," Rapanos said.

Rapanos described the paramedic as a veteran and said staging was common practice whenever paramedics approach a potentially dangerous scene.

"The initial tendency for anyone is to go right in, but when you have an assailant in the area, you can't," Rapanos said. "We have to rely on Edmonton police."

deadmonton 2007 - james douglas foley