He Wondered When He Would Be Caught

By Sarah Laudenbach
The first trial of Travis Mitchell, who was charged for the murder in the first degree, was held today in Cawthra Park Superior Court. Mitchell was accused of murdering Roxanne Andrews and Cleo Sims, with both of the victims brutally stabbed to death. Andrews, the first victim, was found dead in her home at 9:30 p.m. on November 24, 2011, with 25 stab wounds to the chest. The second victim, Sims, who was a real estate agent, was found dead in the house she was selling on March 31, 2012, at 7:30 p.m., with 22 stab wounds to the chest, as well as being naked from the waist down. She was found by her husband, Marco Sims. The first Crown witness called to the stand was Constable Jack Drake, an RCMP officer of six years. He was the first officer called to the scene of Andrews murder on March 31, and upon arrival saw the body of Roxanne Andrews on the ground. Constable Drake took photographs of the crime scene, which he authenticated by signing his name on the bottom of the pictures, as well as took fingerprints throughout the house. Later, he was called to the scene of Sims murder, where he observed Cleo Sims dead body. Constable Drake photographed the scene, as well as took hair samples from it. Upon entering the scene of Sims murder, Constable

Travis Mitchell, the accused

Drake noticed that there were muddy footprints leading in the home, a key piece of evidence in the investigation. Drake, accompanied by RCMP officer of ten years Sergeant Nicole Haney, went to the house of Roland Mitchell, the brother of Travis Mitchell and the lead suspect in the double murder case, to arrest both brothers on the charge of drug trafficking, and as a way to question the brothers about the murder. Travis was arrested at the brothers home, while Roland was arrested at the Ranch Hotel. After questioning from Sergeant Haney, the lead suspect shifted from Roland to Travis. He said that he wondered when he would be caught says Haney, after interviewing Travis, and after speaking to undercover agent F. A. Kake, who pretended to be a drug trafficker so that he could get

information from the Mitchell brothers in the cells. On August 3, 2012 at 8:45 p.m., Travis Mitchell was charged with murder. Mitchell was asked to write out a statement containing his confession to the murder of the women, in which Travis also stated that he was very frustrated with women. This statement took Mitchell almost an hour to complete. Mitchell was mentally handicapped, and although Sergeant Haney knew this, she concluded that he was not handicapped enough to enter a plea of insanity. Haney stated that she had witnesses who saw Mitchell at the crime scene of Sims murder, though she would not give the names of the witnesses. Haney returned to the place of Sims murder with Mitchell, and when Haney asked Mitchell to point out the house that Cleo Sims was murdered out, Mitchell pointed out the incorrect house. After Haney pointed out the correct house of the murder, Mitchell agreed that yes, that was the house where Sims was murdered. In Mitchells first interview with Haney, he did not claim that he was guilty. In the second interview with the Sergeant, however, he did admit to committing the crime. Doctor Jamie Vinus, a general practitioner, was contacted to examine Mitchell physically and mentally. He was very cooperative says Vinus, reflecting on her examination of Mitchell He said that he expected to get 25 years for the crime. While Vinus thought that Travis was very angry and resentful, she believed Travis was telling the truth, and not under the

influence of the police. Dr. Vinus concluded that while Mitchell had slow mental processing and an IQ of around 80 (the average being 100), that did not mean that Travis had a mental handicap, and that he was aware of the crime he was committing. The trial will proceed on October 31, 2013, and the jurys decision will be revealed on November 1, 2013.