True crime doc delves into 1974 Durham murder

Beverly Lynn Smith was lively, loving and the light in any room she walked in.

The 22-year-old mother, best described as the girl next door, lived in a house in Raglan, Ont., with her husband, Doug Smith, and her 10-month old baby girl, Rebecca. An old soul, Beverly had a penchant for pulling off the perfect prank with her twin sister Barbra, loved antiques and sewing so much that she even stitched together her own wedding gown.

That was before she was fatally shot in 1974.

Widely regarded as one of Canada’s coldest cases, a tip offered decades later prompted a new investigation into Alan Dale Smith (no relation), a neighbour who lived across the street.

What happened next was one of the most unconventional policing operations in this country’s history. So unconventional that it is the subject of a new documentary series that makes its world premiere at Hot Docs on April 30. The operation led to Smith being acquitted of the crime in 2014 (his second arrest for the same crime).

“The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith” delves deep into the search for a killer and a quest for truth in a mystery that has spanned over four decades.

The film’s co-executive producer and director, Nathalie Bibeau, explained that she has a personal connection to the story.

“I have a relative who is in jail because of this kind of sting. It’s not related to this case but, when the story came to me, I was immediately hooked for that reason because I connected with the stakes and hyperbole and the theatrical nature of this kind of sting operation.”

The details of the clandestine investigation are being saved until the series officially premieres. They make up just one chapter of a story that has many.

Bibeau’s diligent efforts talking to everyone directly affected by the investigation make up another part of the story. This not only includes the Alan Dale Smith, but Beverly’s twin Barbra and her other sisters, Wendy and Susan.

“Access to her (Barbra) was primordial to the life of the project. She is Bev’s twin and felt her pain the night she died. She is someone who has carried this with her for 50 years,” Bibeau said.

The sisters didn’t have to be coerced into participating in the doc series as they feel that the case warrants attention.

“The family was actually quite eager to have their say in a way that they haven’t had before. They expressed to me that they feel as if Al Smith has co-opted their sister’s story,” Bibeau said.

Toronto Star crime reporter Wendy Gillis covered Alan Dale Smith’s trial in 2014 and also lends her expertise to the docuseries. She believes there are many reasons why it is one of the most important investigations in Canadian history.

“It was Durham’s first murder. Their policing service had also just formed, so it was kind of a first in that sense as well,” Gillis said.

Gillis said the fact that the case has gone unsolved for more than 40 years and the policing methods that were used make it particularly memorable.

“It’s unlike any other story that I have ever covered in my time as a crime reporter.”

She isn’t the only one still fascinated. According to the director, true depictions of events like this have the ability to touch a nerve in good ways and bad.

“I think we have all had some form of pain in our lives,” Bibeau said. “There’s a natural draw to understand the human condition.”

Bibeau chose to make a character-driven series that “looks at the emotional impact of the crime.”

That said, if viewers are expecting a clear answer, they will likely be left only with more questions.

“I don’t think in any powerful true crime story there’s ever a neat resolution. They always leave scars and unanswered questions. I hope viewers learn something new about Beverly because, over the last 50 years, she hasn’t been talked about as a person quite as much.”

Central themes that Bibeau wanted to explore include the dynamics of power in society and questioning exactly how crimes are solved in this country.

“I just want people to feel compassion for these people who have been through hell.”

SHARE: