In the early morning hours of May 17, 1990, a high-speed car chase occurred in Banff, a town of approximately 7,800 people, eighty miles west of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. Two cars raced through the sparsely populated streets at speeds reaching eighty miles-per-hour. The nearly two-mile chase ended when the driver of the pursued car drove down a dead end street. He abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot into the woods.

Such a situation is often encountered by the police. In this instance, however, it was a cabbie, not a cop, chasing the criminal. One cab had been stolen and was being pursued by another. But the taxi theft was the least of the perpetrator’s crimes.

As the chase ensued, police came upon a gruesome scene two miles away. The body of a young woman lay in the street. Twenty-two-year-old taxi driver Lucie Turmel, whose cab had been stolen, had been stabbed to death.

DNA was recovered from the scene and everyone who was asked willingly submitted a sample . . . with one exception.

It took undercover police work and subterfuge to identify the killer of Lucie Turmel.

Lucie Turmel

Lucie Turmel grew up in La Vie, Quebec, Canada. She moved to Banff, a popular resort town in the mountains, in the fall of 1987 and worked part-time as a driver for the Taxi Taxi and Tours Company.

On May 16, 1990, Lucie began her shift at 8:00 p.m. She had a good evening, clearing over $100 in tips working Banff’s busy downtown tourist district.

The evening of May 16 had been mundane for Lucie; the morning of May 17 was murderous.

Part-Time Cab Driver

At 1:40 a.m. on May 17, Lucie arrived at the Works Night Club, a popular hangout of young people, hoping to pick up patrons as the club’s closing time neared. Her friend and fellow cab driver, Larry Laundreau, had the same thoughts as he was already parked at the club. They chatted for a few minutes before Larry saw a young man and two young women enter the back seat of Lucie’s cab.

Lucie called in her destination to the dispatcher, Bruce Farienchek. She bid Larry goodbye and drove away for what would be her final fare.

Lucie’s Final Fare

After completing a couple more fares, Larry called Bruce to say he was going to call it a night. He was surprised when his supervisor told him that Lucie had not yet checked in.

Both Larry and Bruce attempted to contact Lucie by radio, but she did not respond. After approximately twenty minutes, as it was after 2:00 a.m. and all of the bars and clubs had closed, Larry drove around Banff looking for Lucie. He found no sign of her at her last reported stop or at her home.

While driving less than a block away from Lucie’s home, Larry came upon her cab. He initially felt relieved, as he thought Lucie may have been bringing a neighbor home. As he drew closer to the cab, however, he noticed it was being driven erratically; as he drew nearer, he could see it was not Lucie behind the wheel.

Larry tailed the cab for two miles, cornering it on a dead-end street. He caught a brief glimpse of the driver as he fled into the woods. All Larry could make out was that he was a white male.

Larry Laundreau

Lisa’s Coworker

As Larry was chasing the stolen cab, police responded to a report of a body lying in the middle of Squirrel Street, two miles away. When police arrived at the scene, they thought it was likely someone drunk who had passed out. As they neared the body, however, they saw a pool of blood. Lucie Turmel lay lifeless, having been repeatedly stabbed in her neck. An autopsy determined she had been stabbed seventeen times in total.

Police learned of the cab chase two miles away. In examining the stolen taxi, they found blood splattered on the front seat, dashboard, and steering wheel. Lab tests determined none of the blood was Lucie’s.

Policed surmised Lucie and her killer had struggled and the perpetrator had cut himself and bled in the cab, which he stole after killing Lucie. It was unclear whether the killer was Lucie’s last fare or someone who flagged her down.

The murder occurred in a sparsely populated area of Banff in the early morning hours when most people were sleeping. No one reported seeing or hearing anything.

No Witnesses to Lisa’s Murder

On the evening of May 17, eighteen hours after Lucie’s attack, the murder weapon, a rare kind of hunting knife, was found in the driveway of a residence at the end of a dead end street. Police theorized the killer may have been from out of town after learning the knife, wiped of fingerprints, had recently been stolen from the Banff Springs Hotel.

Lucie’s wallet was also found nearby; all of her money was gone. Robbery appeared to be the motive for her murder. The value of Lucie’s life to her killer was little more than $100.

Murdered For A Minute Amount Of Money

Police received a tip from a man saying his former roommate, Ryan Love, had owned a knife similar to the one used to kill Lucie Turmel and that he had once worked as a housekeeper at the Banff Springs Hotel. After Love refused to submit his DNA for testing, two undercover police officers befriended him. After two-and-half years of earning his trust, they caught the break they needed.

In November 1992, the undercover officers seized a handkerchief discarded by Love after he blew his nose; DNA from his hairs and mucus was matched to the blood found in Lucy’s taxi.

Eighteen-years-old at the time of the crime, Love was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to twenty years-to-life in prison. His appeal that the DNA evidence used to convict him was obtained illegally was rejected in 1996 after an appellate court ruled the evidence was lawfully seized because he willingly discarded the handkerchief.

Ryan Love

Later in 1996, after his appeals were exhausted, Ryan Love confessed to killing Lucie Turmel, saying he had been high on alcohol and drugs at the time. He confirmed he was the man seen by Larry Laundreau getting into Lucie’s cab on the morning shortly before she was murdered. Love said Lucie had dropped the two women seen getting into the cab with him at a house party shortly thereafter. They had no involvement in Lucie’s murder or any knowledge that Love intended to kill her.

Love also confirmed he killed Lucie for her money, which he said was $130. He said he was perpetually broke and wanted to impress relatives at a family reunion the following day by arriving with cash.

Love Confesses

n 2011, the forty-year-old Ryan Love was granted day parole and transferred from a minimum security prison to a halfway house under curfew. In September, he was granted full parole. Under the conditions of his release from prison, he was ordered to undergo psychological counseling, refrain from drugs and alcohol, and was forbidden from contacting Lucie Turmel’s family.

Love Is Granted A Conditional Parole

 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151659869/lucie-turmel

SOURCES:
• Calgary Herald
• Montreal Gazette
• Quebec Journal
• Unsolved Mysteries