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Helen Betty Osborne, a 19-year-old Cree woman, was brutally murdered in The Pas, Manitoba, on November 13, 1971. Her case remained unsolved for 16 years despite community knowledge of the perpetrators.
According to the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission, four men—Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan, and Norman Bernard Manger—were implicated in her abduction and killing. However, only Johnston was convicted in 1987, receiving a life sentence, while Houghton was acquitted, Colgan was granted immunity, and Manger was never charged.
The Crime Junkie podcast episode MURDERED: Helen Betty Osborne (March 3, 2025) revisited the case, highlighting the failures of law enforcement and systemic racism that delayed justice. The Aboriginal Justice Inquiry (1991) concluded that Helen Betty Osborne would not have been killed if she had not been Aboriginal, according to CBC News on Nov. 11, 2021. Today, a memorial fund in her name supports Indigenous students in Manitoba.
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5 shocking details about the murder of Helen Betty Osborne explored
1) The cause of death
Helen Betty Osborne’s body was found approximately 23 meters into the bush near a pump house at Clearwater Lake. Evidence suggested she was initially left near some mounds of earth before being dragged deeper into the wooded area. The absence of melted snow around her final location suggested that she was already deceased when she was abandoned.
Helen Betty Osborne endured a brutal attack. Her face was severely beaten, either in an attempt to obscure her identity or as an expression of unrestrained violence. Except for her boots, her clothing was stripped off and concealed under rocks approximately 30 meters away near a breakwater extending into the lake.
Investigators noted that her boots must have been taken off and then put back on at some point, highlighting the disturbing nature of the crime, according to the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission.
The autopsy revealed that Osborne suffered over 50 stab wounds. Her skull, cheekbones, and palate were fractured, and her lungs and one kidney were damaged. Additionally, her body exhibited extensive bruising.
The presence of numerous puncture wounds suggested that a screwdriver was used as one of the murder weapons. Other injuries indicated she may have been assaulted with fists, feet, or another blunt object. The exact moment of her death remains unclear due to the severity of the injuries reported by the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission.
2) The events leading to the murder
On the evening of November 12, 1971, Osborne spent time with her friend Patricia Benson before heading downtown to The Pas, Manitoba. She visited St. Anthony’s Hospital, met an old friend, George Ross, and later socialized at a café with other acquaintances.
Osborne was last seen walking alone at 2.15 am on November 13. Witnesses later confirmed that she resisted getting into a vehicle with four men, making it evident that she was unwillingly abducted, according to the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission.
3) The attack and murder
The four men—James Houghton, Lee Colgan, Norman Manger, and Dwayne Johnston—had been drinking and cruising around town that night. According to testimony, they planned to find an Indigenous woman to exploit. They spotted Osborne walking alone and coerced her into their vehicle, as noted in the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission.
Johnston and Colgan physically and s*xually assaulted Osborne inside the car as they drove her to a cabin at Clearwater Lake. The assault continued outside the vehicle while the others watched and drank alcohol. When concerned that her screams might be overheard, they forced Osborne back into the car. They drove to a more secluded area near a pump house, where the final attack took place, the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission reported.
Colgan later testified that while he, Manger, and Houghton remained in the car, he heard banging sounds against the vehicle, presumably from Helen Betty Osborne being attacked. At some point, Johnston retrieved a screwdriver and continued the assault. Colgan claimed that when Johnston and Houghton eventually returned to the car, one of them said, “She’s dead.”
4) Delayed justice and police failures
While there were immediate suspicions surrounding the four men, the case remained unsolved for 16 years. Community members in The Pas knew of their involvement, but no charges were filed due to systemic failures and a culture of silence.
"In almost every aspect of our legal system, the treatment of Aboriginal people is tragic.… Canada's treatment of its first citizens has been an international disgrace," Chief Justice Alvin Hamilton and Judge Murray Sinclair concluded in their final 1991 report. (CBC News, November 11, 2021).
Investigative errors and racial biases contributed to delays in achieving justice. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) did not gather enough evidence early on, allowing the case to grow cold, according to the Crime Junkie Podcast on March 3, 2025.
Witnesses, fearing repercussions, were reluctant to come forward. It was not until 1987 that Colgan, granted immunity, testified against the others, resulting in Dwayne Johnston’s conviction for second-degree murder, as reported by CBC News on November 11, 2021.
5) Broader impact and legacy
Helen Betty Osborne’s murder became a catalyst for exposing racial discrimination within Canada’s justice system. The inquiry that followed highlighted how Indigenous victims often received less investigative effort compared to non-Indigenous individuals. The case also underscored the community’s reluctance to implicate the perpetrators despite widespread knowledge of their guilt, as reported by CBC News.
Helen Betty Osborne’s case was later adapted into Conspiracy of Silence, a CBC television movie, and remains a significant example of how systemic racism impacts Indigenous communities.
Stay tuned for more updates.
