Gilbert Paul Jordan

Gilbert Paul Jordan (born December 12, 1931; died July 7, 2006) was known as the “Boozing Barber.” He was a Canadian serial killer believed to have committed the “alcohol murders” in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Background

Jordan was a former barber and was linked to the deaths of between eight and ten women in Vancouver between 1965 and 1988. He was described as the first Canadian to use alcohol as a murder weapon.

Jordan had a lengthy criminal record that started in 1952. His record included convictions for rape, indecent assault, abduction, hit and run, drunk driving, and car theft. He was known for drinking more than 50 ounces of vodka each day. He was described as having an “insatiable quest for drunken sex.”

In June 2000, Jordan was examined by Dr. Tibor Bezeredi as part of a court proceeding. Dr. Bezeredi diagnosed Jordan as having an anti-social personality, defined by Dr. Bezeredi as “a person whose conduct is maladjusted in terms of social behaviour; disregard for the rights of others which often results in unlawful activities”.

The offence

Jordan was believed to have committed the “alcohol murders” by stalking Indigenous women in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and encouraging them to drink heavily. He was described as buying women drinks or paying them for sex and company, and then pouring liquor down their throats once they passed out. Resulting deaths were reported as alcohol poisoning.

The victims were described as Aboriginal women, and Jordan’s victims were said to have been typically alcoholics. Although newspapers sometimes described the women as prostitutes, it was stated that not all were involved in prostitution.

Jordan was said to have sought out approximately 200 women per year for binge drinking episodes covering the period from 1980 to 1988, and he was also described as looking for sexual gratification.

Investigation

Earlier death in 1965

The first woman known to have died by alcohol poisoning while in Jordan’s company was in 1965. A switchboard operator named Ivy Rose was found naked and dead in a Vancouver hotel. Her blood alcohol level was 0.51. No charges were laid.

Similar fact evidence and linked deaths

Court proceedings included evidence linking Jordan to the deaths of six other Aboriginal women. Similar fact evidence showed Jordan had been with the following women at the time of their deaths:

1. Mary Johnson — November 30, 1980 — at the Aylmer Hotel — blood alcohol level: .34
2. Barbara Paul — September 11, 1981 — at the Glenaird Hotel — blood alcohol level: .41
3. Mary Johns — July 30, 1982 — at 2503 Kingsway (his barbershop) — blood alcohol level: .76
4. Patricia Thomas — December 15, 1984 — at 2503 Kingsway (his barbershop) — blood alcohol level: .51
5. Patricia Andrew — June 28, 1985 — at 2503 Kingsway (his barbershop) — blood alcohol level: .79
6. Vera Harry — November 19, 1986 — at the Clifton Hotel — blood alcohol level: .04

Vanessa Lee Buckner

On October 12, 1987, Vanessa Lee Buckner was found naked on the floor of the Niagara hotel in Vancouver after a night of drinking with Jordan. There was some debate regarding the victim, with some sources indicating she was a white woman, not a heavy drinker, and not a prostitute. Official court records described her death as the result of Jordan “…supplying a lethal amount of liquor to a female alcoholic, who died as a result.”

It was stated that Buckner had recently lost custody of her newborn baby, which had been born with a drug dependency. It was also stated that she “was an alcoholic and a taker of various kinds of drugs.”

Edna Shade

A month after Buckner’s death, another woman named Edna Shade was found dead in another hotel. Jordan’s fingerprints were found and linked to Shade’s death. After being questioned, Jordan had not been charged with any crime related to Buckner’s death. Police initiated surveillance on Jordan after the fingerprint match.

Police surveillance and rescued intended victims

Between October 12 and November 26, 1987, police watched Jordan and, on four different occasions, rescued the women involved before they became victims. Those women were:

1. Rosemary Wilson — November 20, 1987 — at the Balmoral Hotel — blood alcohol level: .52
2. Verna Chartrand — November 21, 1987 — at the Pacific Hotel — blood alcohol level: .43
3. Sheila Joe — November 25, 1987 — at the Rainbow Hotel — blood alcohol level: unknown
4. Mabel Olson — November 26, 1987 — at the Pacific Hotel — blood alcohol level: unknown

Police listening outside hotel rooms heard Jordan say:

• “Have a drink, down the hatch baby, 20 bucks if you drink it right down; see if you're a real woman; finish that drink, finish that drink, down the hatch hurry, right down; you need another drink, I'll give you 50 bucks if you can take it; I'll give you 10, 20, 50 dollars, whatever you want, come on I want to see you get it all down; you get it right down, I'll give you the 50 bucks and the 13 bucks; I'll give you 50 bucks. I told you that. If you finish that I'll give you $75; finish your drink, I'll give you $20...”

It was stated that this similar fact evidence was important in the 1988 trial.

Arrest

Jordan was tracked to his room at the nearby Marble Arch Hotel after police received an anonymous early-morning phone call on October 12, following Buckner’s death.

It was stated that police arrested Jordan as he was poisoning his last attempted victim. The victim had lost consciousness. When police entered the room, Jordan was lying on top of her, forcing the contents of a large bottle of vodka down her throat.

Trial

Jordan was tried before a judge alone. Justice Bouck found Jordan guilty of manslaughter in the death of Vanessa Lee Buckner.

Nick Basaraba, father of the victim, expressed his outrage when the case went to trial. Basaraba said: “He's a worm,” and also said: “He's a lowlife. He should be squashed, just as he squashed a lot of girls' lives.”

Sentencing

Jordan was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for manslaughter. The sentence was reduced to nine years on appeal.

It was stated that Jordan served six years for the manslaughter conviction.

In reducing the sentence, Justice Sam Toy wrote:

“Although the appellant has left a trail of seven victims, the last was the first occasion when persons in authority, in a forceful and realistic manner, brought to the appellant's attention the fact that supplying substantial quantities of liquor to women who were prepared to drink with him was a contributing cause of their deaths, for which he might be held criminally responsible.”

Appeals

On appeal, Jordan succeeded in reducing his manslaughter sentence from fifteen years to nine years.

Outcome

After his release, Jordan was placed on probation with restrictions to Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

Aftermath

Probation violations and later arrests

Jordan was arrested again in 2002 for breach of probation after he was found drinking, and in the presence of a woman while in possession of alcohol. It was stated that he was found guilty and sentenced to fifteen months in jail, followed by three years probation with strict conditions.

On August 11, 2004, Jordan was arrested in Winnipeg for violating that probation order for an incident at the York Hotel in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, on August 9, 2004. It was stated that he was identified as being a party to binge drinking with Barb Burkley. Burkley was a long-term resident of the hotel and had a serious drinking problem. Burkley was taken to the hospital by her friend and hotel employee, Cathy Waddington, after finding Burkley in very bad condition. Waddington identified Jordan as being there, but Jordan was acquitted of those charges in 2005.

Public warning

After Jordan’s release, police issued a public warning. The Saanich Police Department issued an alert on February 3, 2005 to warn the public to be cautious of the individual. The alert stated:

“JORDAN, Gilbert Paul, age 73, is the subject of this alert.
JORDAN is 175cm (5'9") tall and weighs 79kgs (174lbs). He is partially bald with grey hair and a grey goatee. He has blue eyes and wears glasses.
JORDAN is currently in the Victoria area but has no fixed address.
JORDAN has a significant criminal record including manslaughter and indecent assault of a female. He uses alcohol to lure his victims. JORDAN's target victim group is adult females.
JORDAN is subject to court ordered conditions including: - Abstain absolutely from the consumption of alcohol. - Not to be in the company of any female person of persons in any place where alcohol is being either consumed of possessed by that person of persons.
If you observe the subject in violation of any of the above conditions please call the Saanich Police Department at 475-4321, 911 or your local police agency. If you have questions concerning the public notification process please contact the BC Corrections Branch at 250-387-6366.”

Name change attempt

In June 2000, it was stated that Jordan was charged with sexual assault, assault, negligence causing bodily harm, and administering a noxious substance — alcohol. In 2000, Jordan attempted to change his name to Paul Pearce. It was stated that, at the time, a name change in British Columbia did not require fingerprinting or a criminal check. After the loophole was closed, he dropped the application.

Death

Jordan died on July 7, 2006.

Other details

Jordan was known for drinking more than 50 ounces of vodka each day. It was stated that he was heard to say: “Down the hatch, baby. Twenty bucks if you drink it right down ... You want another drink? I'll give you 50 bucks if you can take it.”

Jordan’s murders were described as the basis for the first episodes of the TV crime drama Da Vinci’s Inquest.

A dramatic play titled “The Unnatural and Accidental Women” was written by Vancouver playwright Marie Clements. The play focused on the victims. It was performed in among other places at Buddies in Bad Time Theatre in Toronto in 2004.

Further reading included:

• Marie Clements, The Unnatural and Accidental Women, 2005, Talon Books. ISBN 0889225214

Jordan’s case included discussion of the forensic work used to convict him in 1988, and it was described as featured in an episode called “Dead Drunk” of the Canadian television program Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science.

It was also stated that a dramatization titled The Unnatural and Accidental Women was performed in Toronto (2004), and that a movie based on the play premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006.

Justice Bouck found Jordan guilty of manslaughter in the death of Ms. Buckner, and it was stated that “He poisons them first and then has sex with them,” as quoted from Nick Basaraba.

Jordan was described as having been the subject of a CBC News report titled “'Boozing Barber' caught in Winnipeg.” It was stated that officers took Jordan into custody without incident, and that a Canada-wide warrant had been issued.

It was also reported that the judge in the case described Jordan as “a predator who used alcohol as his deadly instrument of choice.”

Nick Basaraba was also quoted as saying: “They were all on their last legs,” and “I didn't give a damn who I was (drinking) with. I mean, we're all dying sooner or later.”