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He Wondered When HeWould 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 Andrewsmurder 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 Simsdead body. Constable

Drake photographed the scene, as well as

took hair samples from it. Upon entering

the scene of Simsmurder, 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 tothe 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

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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 astatement 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 Simsmurder 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, Mitchellagreed 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.