William Shrubsall

Case name

William Shrubsall (also known as Ian Thor Greene and now Simon Templar (Ethan Simon Templar MacLeod))

Background

William Chandler Shrubsall was originally from Niagara Falls, New York.

In 1988, he killed his mother with a baseball bat in Niagara Falls, New York.

He had an alias used in Canada: Ian Thor Greene.

While serving his life sentence, he applied to have his name changed to “Simon Templar” after the popular TV character.

People involved

• William Chandler Shrubsall — offender.
• Marianne Shrubsall — victim; his mother, aged 56.
• Ian Thor Greene — alias used by Shrubsall.
• Simon Templar (Ethan Simon Templar MacLeod) — name applied for by Shrubsall while serving his life sentence.
• Detective Lt. Richard Clute — police officer who described the argument and death.
• Detective John Donner — detective who expressed concern about lack of remorse when Shrubsall confessed to police.
• Associate Chief Justice Michael MacDonald — judge who delivered the verdict at trial.
• Justice Felix Cacchione — justice who declared Shrubsall a dangerous offender.
• Prosecutor Rob Fetterly — prosecutor who spoke about satisfaction with the ruling.
• Danny Myette — man who confessed to one of the crimes; described as suffering from schizophrenia.
• Crown — the prosecutor side that had Shrubsall declared a dangerous offender (assisted by former victims who flew in to testify).
• Bailiffs — court officials who sat Shrubsall between.

Timeline

• June 28, 1988 — William Shrubsall, age 17, was arraigned on a charge of second-degree murder and held in the city jail without bail after police said he beat his 56-year-old mother, Marianne, to death Saturday morning.
• November 17, 2000 — A judge convicted William Chandler Shrubsall in Halifax of a brutal sexual assault; Associate Chief Justice Michael MacDonald delivered the verdict.
• December 21, 2001 — The Nova Scotia Supreme Court declared Shrubsall a dangerous offender and handed him a life sentence for crimes against three women in Nova Scotia.

The offence

Killing of his mother

Police said Shrubsall beat his 56-year-old mother, Marianne, to death with a baseball bat after an argument over his late return from his girlfriend’s house.

Investigation

Detective Lt. Richard Clute described the argument over Shrubsall’s late return from his girlfriend’s house and said police said Shrubsall killed his mother with a baseball bat.

Detective John Donner expressed concern about Shrubsall’s lack of remorse when Shrubsall confessed to police.

Authorities later released Shrubsall’s photo, and the New York State Police immediately identified him as the missing fugitive.

A forensic psychiatrist diagnosed Shrubsall as a psychopath and said he separated women into two categories: “angels” and those that he would assault.

Arrest / fugitive period

After a trial in 1996 for sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl, Shrubsall jumped bail and left a suicide note claiming to have jumped into Niagara Falls.

The narrative later stated that he fled the U.S. to Canada.

He showed up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, using the alias “Ian Thor Greene.”

Financial assistance and assault in Halifax

While in Halifax, he convinced a local congregation to provide him with money by saying he had financial difficulties.

During one evening with a student, when she tried to call a taxi to go home, he punched and choked her.

Prior arrest while using the alias

He had previously been arrested by police for picking up an undercover officer posing as a prostitute using the name Ian Thor Greene.

He was not properly identified by the police.

Crime linking through identification

Detectives searching his room discovered that he had the identification of two previous victims that he attacked, and this was confirmed by witnesses.

The material described two cases confirmed by the identification:

• One involved aggravated sexual assault that was described as unsolved.
• Another was in May 1998 for robbing and assaulting a female store clerk with a baseball bat; the narrative also stated that Danny Myette (who suffered from schizophrenia) confessed to the crime.

Authorities “questioned Shrubsall’s stories and found no records to support them,” realizing that Greene was an alias, and he refused to divulge further details.

Trial

Halifax trial conviction for sexual assault

On November 17, 2000, Associate Chief Justice Michael MacDonald delivered the verdict convicting William Chandler Shrubsall of attacking a woman in Halifax two years earlier.

The narrative stated that Shrubsall sat impassively as Associate Chief Justice Michael MacDonald delivered the verdict.

Shrubsall testified during the trial that he overreacted when the woman slipped a tie around his neck during a massage.

Shrubsall later said he had planned to call ambulance when he realized the woman was unconscious.

The woman testified that she had decided to call a taxi after spending the evening with Shrubsall.

Justice MacDonald said:

“I found nothing in any of the evidence presented to raise any doubts about the woman's evidence. As for Shrubsall's testimony, MacDonald said it defied any type of belief or comprehension.”

Related existing Halifax convictions mentioned

The material stated that Shrubsall already had three other convictions in Halifax:

• stalking an ex-girlfriend,
• aggravated sexual assault,
• robbing and assaulting a female store clerk.

Sentencing

Dangerous offender declaration and life sentence (Nova Scotia)

The Crown, assisted by former victims who flew in to testify, had Shrubsall declared a dangerous offender, giving him no possibility of parole.

On December 21, 2001, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court declared Shrubsall a dangerous offender and handed him a life sentence for crimes against three women in Nova Scotia.

The narrative stated that Shrubsall was impassive as Justice Felix Cacchione read his decision and sat quietly between two bailiffs, with shoulders slightly hunched under a navy blue blazer.

Justice Felix Cacchione called Shrubsall “an extremely violent sexual deviant,” lacking in conscience and empathy for his victims.

Justice Felix Cacchione stated:

“hope for successful treatment was speculative at best.”

Cacchione spoke directly to Shrubsall’s victims, saying:

“an indefinite prison term was the best protection the courts could offer.”

Prosecutor Rob Fetterly said:

“I'm really pleased that the judge has condemned in the strongest terms the actions of Mr. Shrubsall, and I think that's appreciated by all involved.”

The dangerous offender sentence faced regular reviews, and the narrative stated odds were slim he would ever be released.

Appeals

No appeal information was included in the provided material.

Outcome

New York outcome

Shrubsall was convicted of manslaughter in New York, USA, in 1988, and served 16 months.

Halifax/Nova Scotia outcomes

Shrubsall was convicted by a judge in Halifax of a brutal sexual assault.

The Nova Scotia Supreme Court declared him a dangerous offender in 2001, and he received a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

Other details

University and housing

After serving 16 months, the narrative stated that Shrubsall graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, transferring there from two years at Niagara University.

While at Penn, he lived in a single room in Stouffer College House for two years without any incidents.

Mother killing arraignment details

The material said Shrubsall, 17, was arraigned on a charge of second-degree murder and held in the city jail without bail.

The material stated that police said his mother was 56 years old and that she was beaten to death Saturday morning after an argument over his late return from his girlfriend's house.

Police said a valedictorian who allegedly killed her mother with a baseball bat said she wouldn’t “give him any freedom.”

Additional alleged history in the material

The material stated that Shrubsall had a long history of violent sexual deviance, including faking his own death to dodge a U.S. sentence for sexual assault.

It also stated that he still faced a sentence for the assault he committed in New York before he fled to Nova Scotia.

Proceedings for dangerous offender status

The material stated that he would be in court on Feb. 4 when the Crown applied to have him declared a dangerous offender.