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44 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday April 11, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Reporter chronicles shocking murder of mother by daughters By Joanna Phillips SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Bob Mitchell is ubiquitous; an ever-present observer and reporter of some of Ontario's most heinous crimes. In the last 10 or 15 years as a Toronto Star crime reporter, he has sat in on so many murder trials he could very well preside over one. Instead, Mitchell, an Oakville resident, wrote a book, The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother, which was released March 27 in bookstores. It reads like a novel, but the twist is that it's all real. The events described within hit so close to home that you or someone you know in the third degree may know somebody involved in the murder of a mother by her own flesh and blood. On January 18, 2003, two sisters, aged 15 and 16, mixed vodka drinks for their alcoholic mother and plied her with Tylenol 3's to make her groggy. It was all part of their master plan to kill her quickly and cleanly. They led her to the bathroom in the family's modest two-storey home in Mississauga, and seamlessly drowned her in the bathtub. It was a ruled an accidental death for more than a year. Then, someone came forward with some startling information. The girls hadn't kept quiet about the murder, before or after the fact. Mitchell was in court at another trial when he made his first brush with the girls and their case in its pre-trial pro- ceedings. "They were dressed in pajamas. [I thought] what's going on here? They should be in prison overalls," Mitchell said. "Little did I know how bizarre and crazy it would become." "The police did an excellent job after they knew what happened." The case has consumed Mitchell since November 2005. He has delved through hundreds of pages of documents, court transcripts and interviews. He had to appear before a judge to request the transcripts, since the sisters are protected by the Young Offenders Act. While Mitchell was covering the trial, he took more extensive notes than normal for covering a trial in a daily newspaper. ALICE IN FUNKY LAND SUNDAY, APRIL 13th 2008 at 1:00 pm & 3:30 pm For all ages. Join the black light sensational puppetry of the Famous People Players as they follow the Hip Hop Rabbit on a musical journey from the busy city streets of Toronto, through the wild rabbit hole, to Funky Land! MATT DUSK WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16th 2008 Go big or go home. That's Matt Dusk's mantra as he tours his second album, "Back In Town", with a show full of swing and jazz designed to get the feet tapping. Part of a new wave of crooners that includes Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum, Matt Dusk has quickly defined himself as a great talent and showman. Don't miss this chance to see Canada's newest star! All performances are at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts To order tickets call 905-815-2021 or 1-888-489-7784 Order on-line www.oakvillecentre.ca "I knew I'd pitch for a book," he said. In his research, Mitchell spoke with teens who had hung out with the sisters before and after the murder. A particular friend, whom he calls "Ashley" in the book, was unwilling to talk at first, but eventually opened up to him. She was so friendly with the sisters that she met up with them for a bite at a restaurant right after they'd killed their mother. She'd known what was going to happen, although it was difficult for her to wrap her head around it. As it turns out, there were quite a few people that learned about the murder over time and never said anything about it. There was just so much to talk about, and so much intrigue, that when Mitchell finished writing his manuscript, "it was double the size [it is now]." The sisters, now 20 and 21, are back in court this month, seeking parole. Currently, they are serving time at the Grand Valley Institution, a federal prison in Kitchener. They would both like to be released to halfway houses. "The real crazy thing is that these [were] 15 and 16 year old girls," said Mitchell, "the average person doesn't plan as much as this." If it weren't for the older sister's tendency to open her mouth, it would have been the "perfect murder," he says. Mitchell should know. He covered every minute of Daniel Sylvester's murder trial, which he says was a lot worse (more gruesome) than the sisters' killing of their mother. Daniel Sylvester brutally murdered Markham neighbour Alicia Ross in 2005 and disposed of her body. Her disappearance set off a massive missing person search. Mitchell covered the Cecilia Zhang murder and broke the story of the discovery of her remains in March 2004, which were found in a wooded area in Mississauga. Nine-year-old Cecilia Zhang was abducted and murdered in October 2003. He also reported on the trial of former Toronto Maple Leafs captain, Robert Ramage, who was charged with impaired driving causing death, which he said "wasn't horrific, [but] it was a tragedy all around." "This case [the sisters'] wasn't emotionally devastating," Mitchell said. He doesn't have any sympathy for the two sisters, whom he calls "monsters." "Friends saw their mom drunk and passed out on the couch. [But] she was a functioning alcoholic." What was important to the sisters, he asserts, was money that they could spend on designer jeans and pot, and Bob Mitchell with The Class Project: How to Kill a Mother the life insurance they stood to inherit. "I believe they were totally motivated by money." As for Bob Mitchell, some of his current pursuits include two unpublished books, which are -- you guessed it -- true crime stories. He has written two screenplays and plans to co-write one for The Class Project, which is being looked at as a movie by the Lifetime Network. This year, Mitchell will be covering the trial of three men who have been charged with murdering Mauricio Castro execution-style outside of the Square One Mall in Mississauga. A fourth man has already been convicted. Mitchell took Journalism at Ryerson, graduating in 1975. He started as a sports reporter at the Toronto Star but eventually "fell into crime writing." Mitchell was born and raised in Toronto but has lived in Oakville for the past five years. Do you want to see all your favourite flyers anytime, anywhere? Look for these great sponsors: Save time, save money.