By Casey Lessard

Similar to the crowd at a Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, familiar faces fill the rows of seats at today’s gathering. I see Steve Dietrich, Pat and Marion Sullivan, Marty and Teresa Larkin, Don O’Rourke, and many Regiers. Instead of seeing Father Ray Lawhead at the front of this room, though, he is among the many. Family friends fill the seats house left, with Carlos Rivera’s family at the front. The Regiers occupy the entire house right side. Altogether, the court seats about 100. We, the media, number 20 and have the privileged position of occupying the jury boxes on either side of the court.

It is now several minutes past ten o’clock on October 27, 2008, and we are waiting for Jesse Norman Imeson’s murder trial to begin. Unlike the Riveras, who used the front entrance, the Regier family was able to avoid the throng of reporters and photographers by using the back entrance. Their sober faces bely the fact that they must wonder what the lawyers at the front have to chuckle about. Perhaps today’s proceedings will bring good news. Hopefully those in attendance will leave with a lighter load than they carried in.

At 10:10 a.m., Imeson’s defense lawyer Don Crawford comes to speak with the reporter ahead of me, Peter Edwards of the Toronto Star (he wrote the book One Dead Indian about the Ipperwash crisis).
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Crawford says. “Is this what it takes to get you out of Toronto and into the sticks?”

My stomach growls. Knowing the courthouse would be full, I left home at 6:30 to ensure a seat. Normally I would be fine after a few hours without food, but the tension in the room makes my gut constrict.
It is quiet, with only a spattering of whispers here, then there. The audience is still, staring forward. The court reporter fidgets, police stand on guard, and lawyers chat among themselves.

It’s 10:20, and the bailiff looks over her shoulder at the judge’s door. No action yet. “Go ahead and bring him out,” a voice crackles through an intercom behind the door to my right. Chains rattle beside me and the door opens. Police offices guide Jesse Imeson behind me and to the prisoner’s box in the middle of the court room.

“All rise.”
Imeson stands and his face wrinkles. His chains restrict him from scratching his nose.
“Let me apologize for the delay,” says Superior Court Justice Roland Haines. “I realize this will e an emotional morning, but I ask you to please restrain yourself from any outbursts during the proceedings.”
Crown Attorney Robert Morris reads the charges against Imeson. He will be pleading not guilty to first degree murder charges, but guilty to three counts of second degree murder. Morris tells the court that a guilty plea carries an automatic life sentence, with no parole for at least 10 years and up to 25. The lawyers have agreed that Imeson will serve concurrent life sentences with no parole for 15 years for the murder of Carlos Rivera, and no parole for 25 years for the murders of Bill and Helene Regier. Morris notes this is the maximum sentence available according to Canadian law, and is the same as a first degree sentence. Because he has killed more than one person, he is not eligible to reduce his sentence after 15 years.

I have an odd vantage point. Jesse Imeson’s prisoner’s box is directly in my line of sight over Morris’ shoulder. We stare at each other, and it is an odd feeling to know he is helpless. This court controls his fate as he controlled the fate of his victims.

Imeson stares at the bailiff as she reads the charges. As she tells him that he is charged with killing Bill Regier, his head drops. When she tells him of the charge regarding Helene Regier, he stares ahead. When she is finished, she asks how he wishes to plea. This is the first time I hear his voice.
“Not guilty as charged, your honour,” he says the first of three times. “Guilty to the included offence of second degree murder.”
His eyes widen as he finishes, and he stares at the judge.
“Do you understand that by pleading guilty,” Justice Haines asks, “that by pleading guilty that you by your unlawful acts caused the deaths of Carlos Rivera, Bill Regier and Helene Regier?”
He nods. “Yes, your honour.”

Crown attorney presents the evidence of the case, and it’s shocking to hear the details of the deaths. Regier granddaughter Nicole Denomy’s audible wail breaks the silence when Morris recounts how Bill Regier was tied in a crucifixion pose while Helene was tied on the floor before being shot to death in the basement of their home. These are details I’ve never heard before this day, and it’s impossible to believe the crown did not have a case to find Imeson guilty of first degree murder.

The court takes a break and returns to hear victim impact statements. The Riveras – Carlos’ mother and father and two brothers (one brother was unable to attend) – had intended to present their own statements, but are too overcome with emotion to speak.
Their lawyer Jennifer Holmes presents on their behalf, and tells the court that Carlos’ mother, Maria, is unable to work, and is financially and physically insecure.
“I’m a different person now. I cry constantly. I walk around in a daze thinking about him. At night, the thought of Carlos invades my mind. I have thoughts of taking my life.
“Carlos was everything to me. This murderer killed Carlos’ dreams and my dreams as well.”
Carlos’ father, Carlos Sr., wonders: “Did (Carlos) ask for help, or did he try to defend himself?”
Carlos’ brother, Javier, would speak to Carlos every day after work. “Sometimes I come home and wait for the phone call that never comes.”
The words of Alvero Rivera make Holmes break down. “He took me under his wing and made me into a man. He loved taking care of me. I love you. I miss you.”
“Carlos helped take a demon out of society,” Hugo Rivera writes. Imeson reacts with a toothless grin, and it’s hard to tell whether he wants to laugh or growl. Clearly uneasy at this point, Imeson appears infuriated to have to listen to their testimony.

The Regier family is next to speak, and they choose to face the killer directly.
Daughter Carol Denomy speaks first: “Our lives are changed forever. In everything we do at work and at home, we see them.
“We can no longer go to Mass with them, and sit on the front porch to watch the sunset. Our conversations with Mom and Dad kept us stable and rooted, always reminding us of what was important in life.
“We will never forget this deep sorrow. It was sudden, violent, undeserved, and defenseless. The pain is sharp, raw, intense.
“Violence is foreign to us. Our hearts are wrenched between an emotional torment of evil, grief, sadness, and fear. Breaking into the sanctuary of one’s home is a bizarre and barbaric act.
“We carry on our lives because that is what our parents would have wanted us to do.
“We are consumed by their absence.”
Brother Paul Regier: “On that night, Bill and Helene looked evil in the eye. This tragic event has opened wounds of despair. We work obsessively to dull the pain of that warm summer’s evening when this cowardly act changed us forever.
“There is no justice… neither sentence nor compensation will euthanize our sense of loss and anger. Although this tragedy has shattered the peace and tranquility in our families and community, for our own health we are all trying in our own ways to graft on to the wound in our family’s tree a healthy memory of happier times.”
Granddaughter Nicole Denomy: “We have all become more skeptical of how safe we really are in our homes. Moving out on my own has been postponed because every night I am reminded of how my grandparents were taken from this earth.
“It is ironic that two selfless people who lived their entire lives for everyone around them were taken at the expense of one person’s incredible selfishness. Grandma and Grandpa would have given him a chance if only he had done the same for them.
“Our family is tired of associating Grandma and Grandpa’s wonderful life with the wickedness of this man.”
Granddaughter Kelli Rathwell: “Our Grandpa had said in a conversation a couple weeks before his and Grandma’s heinous death, ‘This world is changing, you just watch.’
“I believe that when a person is at their very worst, it is because no one is around.
“Please know that you have done our family no favours on this day. But always remember, although you did not listen to the plea of our beautiful grandparents for their life, their family has listened to yours.”

Accepting the crown’s evidence, Don Crawford says the DNA stands for itself, but tells the court that Imeson did not go to the Regier farm with the intention of killing anybody. “Things,” he says, “unfortunately got out of hand.”
Defending the plea bargain, Crawford tells the court that the families “have been spared the anguish of having to testify at a preliminary inquiry and a subsequent trial.
“I can’t imagine the amount of money that would have been spent,” he reminds the judge.
While Imeson chooses not to apologize in the courtroom, he has given his lawyer a statement to read. “I will be an old man when I am released, if ever. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me.”
The judge’s reaction seems more honest. “It is apparent they were extraordinary people,” Justice Haines says. “I would like to express my sympathy and extend my condolences.”

After finalizing the details, the judge sends Imeson to serve his sentence at a federal facility outside of Ontario.
We get one last look at Imeson, and I am the last person he sees before he leaves the court. We stare at each other as we have done many times this day. Feeling no fear, I hold my stare with an emotionless face. I now know the depth of his transgression. He breaks and looks to his left. Is this one moment of true embarrassment? The door closes.
“This court is closed for the day,” the bailiff says.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Warning: graphic details of the Rivera and Regier murders follow. Discretion is advised.

If there is any reason people feel uneasy about the Jesse Imeson trial, I suggest it is this: we still have no explanation for why Jesse Imeson decided to kill Carlos Rivera, and Bill and Helene Regier.
At least Imeson has an explanation for the former, claiming that Rivera was sexually assaulting him by performing fellatio as he slept. That’s certainly possible; no one has the right to touch you without your permission, let alone perform oral sex on you. Imeson claims he woke up to see Rivera performing said act, and strangled Rivera to death with his belt. He told Lindsay Glavin that another guy did it, and that he watched as Rivera’s “eyes went white and blood bubbles came from his nose.” Later, he told a Quebec police officer, “the gay guy, if I had to do it again, I would do it.”
With regards to the murders of Bill and Helene Regier, his lawyer relayed an apology at his Oct. 27 trial, telling the Regier family that he didn’t intend to kill Bill and Helene. His alleged lack of intent in the Regier case, and crime of passion argument in the Rivera case seem to have saved him from facing first degree instead of second-degree murder charges.
But this is where I get confused. Why did the crown believe anything Imeson said? He has already proven himself to be a liar and a con artist. In fact, everything he says is suspect, especially his insulting and ridiculous apology.
No one witnessed the murders except Imeson, so I suppose we have to take into consideration his testimony. Fine, believe the method, but doubt the rationale. I will never believe that Imeson did not intend to kill any of his victims, especially the Regiers, whose hands he had tied so they would be helpless. Bill was tied to the posts and rafters holding up the house, and Helene was securely bound on the floor. Neither of them was going anywhere, and Imeson would have had many hours to flee.
So why do it? Why pull the trigger, not once, but many times until they were more than dead? It’s disgusting to think of Imeson’s rationale for the act, and the fact that they were in a harmless state tells me that he had intent. Apparently, he had plenty of time to think about it. And if this is the way he approached a murder he “didn’t intend” to do, how did he approach Carlos Rivera? We will never know.
There is some consolation in the fact that Jesse Imeson is locked up for the next 25 years. It’s the most our justice system can do. So why does he seem pleased? I can’t help feeling that he believes he’s still in control, and that he’s going to be remembered. On the latter point, at least, he’s right.
However, unlike the heroic demon he seems to hope we will recall, I’ll just remember him as a bottom-rung loser who tried to bring others down.
The Rivera and Regier families won’t forget him either. Fortunately, they won’t have to look at his face for another 25 years, and then, as Carol Denomy says, they “will remain vigilant to ensure in 25 years that Jesse Imeson remains behind bars.”
We should all do the same.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s fair to say it’s been a tough summer for our community.
Most obviously, we’ve had to deal with a murderer taking the lives of two of our own, Bill and Helene Regier. The act and subsequent mystery about the killer’s whereabouts made it difficult to grieve without wondering if he would strike again. The fact that the suspect, Jesse Imeson, was found in Quebec and believed to have been in that area since the day of the murders, stopped the worry but could not stop the emotional turmoil so many of our friends and neighbours have been facing. It hasn’t stopped the rumours, and we can only hope the impending trial will bring us some answers.
The summer has been tough on our farmers, bringing little relief from a drought that has already taken a toll on the quality and quantity of crop yields. Randy Regier (page 3) predicts his bean crop will yield 30 per cent less than hoped. He’s not alone, and with global warming, you have to wonder if we will be able to stop this year’s results from becoming a trend.
Fewer American tourists are coming to Ontario each year because of the strong Canadian dollar and all the effort it takes to get across the border. According to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, visits by Americans dropped one-third over the past five years and are expected to drop another five per cent this year.
We can’t control the weather or other people’s vacation plans, and we can’t predict when something bad is going to happen to our loved ones. Instead of being focused on the bad, we must work to tune into the good that is around us, even when it feels like there’s nothing to find.
I can’t tell you where you’ll find comfort this summer. Perhaps you’ll celebrate at the Zurich bean festival or you’ll spend your vacation at home and stimulate the local economy. Or perhaps you’ll find comfort in the words of the people who share your concerns. Some of them are printed on page 5 of this week’s issue, and many more can be found in the pages of our last issue, a tribute to Bill and Helene Regier. Either way, remember that you’re not alone.

If you would like to share the stories in our tribute issue, we are now making our remaining copies available for sale. Outside of the costs associated with shipping, the proceeds will go to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church restoration fund, the project the Regiers cared so deeply about.
Send us a cheque for $5 for each copy you would like (P.O. Box 218, Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0) and we’ll forward $3 (that’s what we figure will be left) to the church.

Our readers write…

Hi Casey,
Compliments on your paper in general, and special accolades for this special edition honouring the Regiers.
Although I didn’t have the pleasure to know them personally I feel I know Helene and Bill now and what they believed in and stood for through your various interviews with those who knew them so well. Refreshing to be able to read so much coverage about the victims instead of Jesse Imeson. How they lived their lives, their faith and witness in the Church and community has helped their family and friends and those that live in the area to start to heal and forgive the unthinkable deed done by a very troubled young man.
Thank you for your witness and thoughtful writing and reporting.
Sincerely,
Lynda Holmes

Hi Casey,
Just wanted to comment on your coverage of the tragedy in Grand Bend. Your sensitivity to the privacy and grief of others is to be commended and your online updates were timely and informative. The service you are giving your community, without sensationalism, regarding the wishes of family, services, information about the alleged murderer, pictures, truck description, etc. is excellent.
Jamie Hurley
Haliburton

Beautiful tribute! Well done, Casey!
Kelly (Glavin) Lorentz
Via Email

I just want to tell you Casey what a great job you and your staff did with the tribute to Bill and Helene. I know that this issue will be a keepsake for all who knew and loved them. Keep up the good work. Thank you for this beautiful gift.
Sincerely,
Nancy Rader
Dashwood

Dear Mr. Lessard,
I am a big fan of your paper. Since moving away a year ago it’s so nice to still be connected to your area with all the happenings and events. I was especially moved by your last issue with the tribute to the Regiers.
My favorite feature is the column each issue by Rita Lessard. But one thing puzzles me. Why are her columns so short? Rita and I go waaayyy back and I have never known her to write a short letter. The ones I receive are usually 7-9 pages long and beautifully written. Now, I can’t imagine that you would stifle her creativity by editing her words of love and wisdom. As her son, you must realize that each word she prints is carefully thought out and each paragraph is just as important to her as the next.
As the editor of the Strip, I’m sure you can find other ways to cut space so that Rita’s columns can be printed in their entirety!! Please don’t deny your readers her words of wisdom. We need more honesty and humor and Rita is the person to put it out there for all the world to see.
I can’t wait for my next issue to arrive. Thank you for listening.
Judith Angyal
London

Ed.: Thanks for your comments. As you know, this paper would not be possible without my mom’s contributions. She helps with writing, distribution and emergency financing. I try not to cut anything from her articles but sometimes it’s necessary. Please note this week’s article took mom five pages of 6”x9” note paper to write.

Dear Casey and the Grand Bend Strip,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the tickets to Miss Saigon. My husband and I attended the Sunday, July 22nd matinee and really enjoyed the show.
Thanks a million for the tickets.
Your paper is great. It’s really nice to see local people and businesses showcased.
Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Sherry Selves

Ed.: Drayton Entertainment graciously gave Grand Bend Strip readers four pairs of tickets to each of Miss Saigon and Mom’s the Word.
Mom’s the Word winners: Carrie Hohner, Lisa McBride, Suzanne Toner, Deb McNair.
Miss Saigon winners: Lana Shelton-Seys, Jenny True, Patrick Adrian, and Sherry Selves.

Visitors to the GrandBendStrip.com website sent their messages of condolence to the Regier family after the murders of Bill and Helene Regier July 23:

Todd & Terri Lynn Cornies: With all of our deepest sympathy to all family and friends of Bill & Helene, we are deeply sorry for your loss.

Charlene Doak (London): So sorry about your loss. I just lost my Dad three months ago and know what a tremendous loss it is. Unfortunately, to lose someone you love this way is disgusting. Take care and my prayers are with you.

The Stranos (London): Sorry to hear about your terrible loss – our thoughts are with you.

Amy (London): I am very sorry for the loss of what I can only imagine were two very dedicated and beautiful people. My thoughts and prayers are with you through this extremely difficult time. Even though it was through tragedy, your parents have touched so many lives as we all come to know a little bit about them and see how beautiful and happy they were in their picture.

Shawnda: I am sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you.

Mike Lessard & family (Oshawa): Our hearts and prayers go out to the Regier family at this time. We are sorry to hear of the loss of two loving and caring people. They will be sadly missed.

Kim-Marie (Windsor): My condolences to the Regier family. This is truly a tremendous loss no one should have to go through. May God guide you through your days of healing and always remember no one can take away your memories and the love you shared. Take care and may God bless and keep all of you safe.

Racine family (London): Our condolences to the Regier family. We all pray for you at this extremely difficult time.

Randy, Nicole, Kim and Ben Nicholson (Kincardine): Our prayers are with you in this time of need.

Julie Sinclair (Leamington): Sorry for your loss.

Dan, Brenda & Adam Hicks (Kitchener): We are really sad this happened. Please accept our sincerest condolences to your entire family and community.

Sherry Cook (Port Franks): My prayers are with your family at this very sad and unfortunate time. God bless you all.

Tawnya DeClark (Exeter): May God wrap his powerful arms around your whole family and give you the strength to get through these tough days. You’re in my prayers and may justice be served.

The Hughes family (London): Our deepest condolences. Stay strong and keep on praying.

Andreozzi family (Tecumseh): Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this very difficult time.

Jan MacDonald (Mazatlan, Mexico formerly of Crediton): I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Regier family.

Amanda Chambers and family (Woodstock): We are so sorry for your loss and want you to know we hold your family and community in our hearts and prayers as you go through this sad and lonely time.

Sister Joyce Smith (Waterdown): Please accept my sympathy and know that the entire family is being held in love and prayer. How tragic and sad! Your parents were wonderful and very kind. Hold all the good memories of life. Blessings!

Denis & Dawn McCann (Manitoulin Island): We are truly sorry this has happened and send our sincerest condolences to the entire Regier family.
Marissa (Windsor): Please know that my prayers and my family’s prayers are with you in this overwhelmingly painful time. What has happened is senseless and difficult to understand but we are praying for your strength and ability to move forward and see justice for Bill and Helene.

Diane (Leamington): I’m so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you.

Tammie & Ken Beecroft (St. Thomas): We are so sad and depressed over what happened to the beautiful Bill & Helene. Please know that everyone is at a loss to describe the sorrow we all feel. Please know that the public is also grieving with you. I wish there was more we could do for all the Regier family and the many, many other people who loved them.

Miss Hone (London): I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that your family will stay strong and remain inspired by Helene and Bill. With my deepest sympathy,

Sharon and Robert Dale and family (Exeter): Please know that your family is in our thoughts and prayers. You have our heartfelt sympathies.

Jean Kargus (Foresters Falls): Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

We can never know the depth of the pain the Regier family has experienced. I speak for my family and our community when I say our thoughts and prayers are with them all as they pursue healing and comfort.
I’ve learned a lot about our community this week. Learned a lot about Bill and Helene Regier, Jesse Imeson, the media, and myself, too.
I learned that Bill was more than just the man who cleaned the school my brothers and I attended all those years ago. More than the man with whom I would collect the offering at church. I learned about Helene and her life and loves. I learned that their strength, faith and love could not be shattered by one man.
I also learned about focus. To be focused means to be aware of your purpose and your intention.
Helene and Bill were focused on their goals in life: faith and family. For them, the two went hand in hand. Everyone who met them benefited, and their contributions will remain physically and spiritually in the Mount Carmel church community.
Jesse Imeson was focused enough to not let anything get in the way of what he wanted. We’ve all suffered as a result.
The media has been focused on the day’s headlines, learning as much as possible in as short of time as possible. Everyone wants to be the first with the story, no matter the cost.
Jamie Tomes, a family friend, addressed this last point after looking at my coverage on GrandBendStrip.com. He thought I had lost my focus, and at that time, I believe he was right.
My focus since then has been to remember what we lost Monday.
We lost two caring citizens and we also lost a part of ourselves.
We know we can never restore our innocents – Helene and Bill Regier. Let’s pray that we can restore our innocence.

Casey Lessard
Publisher/Editor

Message from Father Ray Lawhead as recorded at the Regier funeral

For the past week there’s been a lot of stories in the news. Sad things. News that’s rocked the community, rocked the friends and family, anyone who knew Bill and Helene. Not nice news.
But I’m here to tell you that I have some news for you and it is good news. It’s not mine. I’m passing it on. Doing much the same as Bill and Helene did the way they lived their lives. The news is that Jesus Christ has a gift for us. Many gifts in fact. But Jesus Christ has given us a very special gift. He has given us the gift of eternal life. The gift of life.
As we face this horrendous act, this evil, what do you do? How do we respond? As Jesus would say, and as Bill and Helene would say, there is only one response to evil like this and that is love. We must cling to and share that which is far more powerful than the evil that we’ve seen. That love heals. Love builds. Love is what gave us their lives in the first place.
We know that as Jesus lived his life on this earth walking with his apostles, he spent His whole life teaching and preaching and showing by example what it means to love. What it means to treat each other as a brother, as a sister. To build up life. But he confronted evil. Ultimately, in the end, it was extreme evil. Evil that resulted in the death of the Son of God.
And yet we know that death did not end in tragedy. That the love of Jesus Christ conquers. The love of Jesus Christ overcame. And what’s going to give us the courage and hope and strength to overcome is the same thing. It is the love of Jesus Christ. It is the love that we share among ourselves.
That love reminds us that we are a people who live in hope. That we are a people who are not afraid of tomorrow, because we know that Jesus has made promises to us. That he has promised never to leave us but he has prepared a place for us. That he has elevated all of us to that of the family of God. By virtue of our baptism, He claimed kinship divine. That we are united with the author of life.
In the gospel reading we heard how Jesus talks about how we might have life and have it to the full. Now you think about having life, you think you’re either alive or you’re not. But we grow in our love as we grow in life. The more love we are able to share, the more love we are able to except from Jesus Christ. The more fully alive we will be, because the more free we will be. We won’t have the fears, the anxieties. And that freedom allows us to reach out to people. To help them to realize there’s good news out there. We need to share that good news.
Bill and Helene lived their lives by that. They were an example. Not just to their family – a tremendous example to their family – but an example to the whole community, anyone who got to know them. And this is what we are called to be.
The greatest memorial to Bill and Helene is not money or even how well a litergy is performed. It’s the love that you share in your hearts. The love for Christ. The love for each other. Learning to take what we share today and bring it into your life. And bring it into your workplace, into your homes. Make sure people know that there is something to smile about.
Not matter how evil something may seem, no matter how under stress you may be, when you wake up in the morning you can smile because Jesus Christ is with us. Jesus Christ walks with us. We are His family.
Another part of scripture talking about the shepherd is where he says, “My sheep hear my voice. My sheep know me.” Do you hear Jesus? Can you hear Him? He’s been speaking all week long in a very special way. His words of comfort and love have been pouring from all over.
The community, the greater community, has been that example, that reminder to us of the gift that Jesus has given us. The gift of family. Beyond relations, we are united in spirit.
Jesus is speaking. He is talking directly to every one of you. As he looks in your eyes he’s asking you and telling you, “Don’t be afraid. The gifts that I give are yours forever. The gift of life that I give you, the gift of life that I gave Bill and Helene, can never be taken away. Ever.”

As presented to the media July 25 by Father Ray Lawhead

It is with profound shock and sadness that we come before you to express our sincere appreciation and gratitude for your support and prayers.
Bill & Helene were known as pillars of the community for their strong faith and family values. Bill was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and a huge advocate of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church Restoration project. Helene has served with the Catholic Women’s League for more than 50 years and was a past London Diocesan president. Married for nearly 52 years, they raised 6 children and were deeply committed to their 16 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
No words and truly convey the loss our family is living through at this time.
Please pray with us for the protection of our community and the safety of the police force.

Story by Casey Lessard

Police say they have captured Jesse Norman Imeson in Quebec near the Ottawa border.

The 22 year old was wanted for the murders of Bill and Helene Regier in Mount Carmel and Carlos Rivera in Windsor.

Police tell CTV News Imeson was trying to break into a home in Portage-Du-Fort, Quebec, but was confronted by a homeowner and chased away.

Quebec and Ontario police officers found Imeson in a nearby wooded area just before 9 p.m.

Watch video report by Roger Smith of CTV

Residents of Renfrew, near Ottawa, are on high alert for Jesse Imeson after an area resident found the Regiers’ stolen 2006 GMC Sierra pickup truck Monday night. The truck was in a heavily wooded area off Kerr Line, White Water Region.

The discovery comes one week after Bill and Helene Regier were killed at their Mount Carmel farm house, and only hours after they were laid to rest.

Forensics teams will scour the vehicle for clues while Renfrew OPP, the East Region Emergency Response Team, East Region canine team and OPP air unit search the area.

Jesse Norman Imeson (see photos) is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Anyone with information about this case should call police at:

1-877-584-8477