The murders of Peter Sopow and Lorraine McNab rocked the small town of Pincher Creek. The ripples were felt in all parts of the country when it was learned Sopow was a much-admired member of the RCMP..Without diminishing the impact McNab’s death had on her community, it can be said when a police officer— a person who has sworn to uphold the law and protect his fellow citizens — is murdered, the public is horrified and those in law enforcement typically pull out the stops in finding the killer..It was no different in this case; officers from around the country offered to help in the investigation and police, who were handling the case, would later accept some of those proposals and even solicit experts in the US to help them solve the double homicide..Still, now nearly 25 years later, police have not arrested anyone for the killings.They have a prime suspect, but with scant evidence — most notably, the lack of the murder weapon — and no witnesses, investigators are unable to lay charges..••••.Pincher Creek is a little piece of paradise tucked away in southwestern Alberta, just more than a two hour drive southwest of Calgary..Nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Pincher Creek lies in the heart of some of the finest rangeland in the world and supplies more than 3,600 residents with awe-inspiring mountain vistas and stream water so pristine it need only be cupped in the hand and sipped..The air is as pure and chaste as the moment in time before people arrived. It’s that very air that’s made Pincher Creek the wind power capital of Canada — the powerful gusts that can upset buildings and snatch words from lips is the very thing that muscles a series of windmills to generate clean, green power to the rest of the province..And nowhere are those attributes more evident than here in this cowboy town with a heritage dating back to the 1800s. That’s when a farm was set up by the Northwest Mounted Police and, in 1868, a pair of hoof-trimming pinchers was found on a creek bank, a discovery that gave a budding town a name..These days hiking fishing and camping are still only a holler from the downtown district and a 15,050 sq.-ft, two-bedroom home can be purchased for about $190,000..Pincher Creek is a place where townsfolk give warm greetings to strangers and newcomers leave with new best friends after only a short visit..Its values like charity, trust and friendliness that speak volumes about the western way in small town Alberta..But that bucolic peace was shattered the night a gunman executed a respected Mountie and his new girlfriend..Fort Macleod RCMP Sgt. Peter Sopow, 52, and his 45-year-old school teacher girlfriend, Lorraine McNab, certainly were given no chance by the coward who waited in ambush and then gunned them down on McNab’s acreage just outside Pincher Creek.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.55.45-PMSopow and McNabb. Courtesy CBC .The couple arrived at the teacher’s mobile trailer — temporary digs on her new dream property until she could afford to build a house — about 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13, 1997..The acreage was a fulfillment of one of Lorraine’s dreams: a small farm with enough land for some cattle and horses..A westerly wind was blowing that wintery night and although Environment Canada records indicate it never exceeded 24 km/h, locals remember it howling through the hills and gullies..The dark sky held high, thick clouds; enough cover to dim the light of the stars and an almost full moon..For the assassin who lay in wait to kill the cop and his girlfriend, the darkness of the night that helped conceal him and the rapid winds that muffled reports from his rifle couldn’t have been more perfect..The only visible light was the dim glow of a 100-watt bulb that illuminated part of the back porch of Lorraine’s trailer..As the killer waited, the headlights of Sopow’s truck could be seen pulling off the gravel road onto McNab’s property..The seasoned Red Coat eased his red Ford three-quarter ton beside Lorraine’s half-ton and the pair got out..They possibly talked of a planned trip to the States as they made their way to the back door..The killer heard the couple’s boots crunch the gravel until just moments later his eyes verified what his ears heard — the porch bulb began to illuminate and outline the two people he was about to shoot dead..The killer tensed, his index finger took up the slack on the trigger of his .22-caliber weapon and he waited for the perfect moment …..Lorraine had no way of knowing she would, in just a few terrible seconds, witness the murder of her boyfriend then run in a vain attempt to save her own life..Hers was a life worth living and a bright future was finally in the cards..In fact, she had Sopow as a new love leading them to the altar and many of her other dreams were finally becoming reality.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.54.56-PMSopow. Courtesy CBC .“Lorraine would have liked to have been a rancher’s wife,” said sister-in-law Sharon McNab, a firebrand of a woman who doesn’t easily believe BS unless she witnesses it drop from the back of a bovine..“That’s the life she loved.”.Lorraine was born in 1952, the second eldest of a fourth generation to to live on homestead land in Fort Macleod..That’s when Lorraine, who had a special connection with her baby brother, Grant, began loving horses and taking long rides in the countryside..“I remember as a boy I’d climb onto the back of the saddle with my sister and we’d just go,” said Grant, who makes his living in the beef industry, buying and selling cattle..He’s a soft-spoken, salt-of-the-earth type with a solid body forged by the elements, rough play and hard, honest work. The laugh lines on his tanned face express a history of life in the outdoors, long days on the range and a joy of living..Now the same face shows something else; an unbearable grief that cannot be concealed..His unwavering eyes become soft and they moisten when he talks of his murdered sister..“I was probably closest to Lorraine,” the 44-year-old said while reaching for a smoke..“She was the stone of the family, she bound us together,” he said..“If anyone had any problems they’d go to Lorraine and she’d smooth things out — she was a peacemaker.”.Lorraine had been married for 17 years, a union that produced two children, a girl, Lesley, and a son, David..But like so many others in volatile times, the marriage soured and she and her hubby separated in the 80s..But that didn’t signify an end for the spirited woman; indeed, it was the beginning of something new..Before the couple separated, Lorraine went to the University of Lethbridge to earn a teaching degree..She worked liked a dog, taking both day and night courses in an effort to get her teaching degree in a short time..Her first job was teaching kids at the Pincher Creek Hutterite School..She also taught a bit in Brocket before she eventually landed a job in Lundbreck and at Canyon School in Pincher Creek..“She’d work a half day at one school and make the 15 mile trip to teach the other half day at the other school,” Lorraine recalled..But fate decreed it was the school in Lundbreck where her life would be forever changed..The little school where she taught the three Rs was the place she would meet the man who would be the prime suspect — the only suspect — in her and Sopow’s murders..It was there she would meet a fellow instructor, Grade 4 teacher Wally Sparks, of Cowley, Alta..During their friendship McNab saved his life during a canoe trip..Months later in an ironic twist, police would identify Sparks as the prime suspect — the only suspect — in the murders of McNab and Sopow..For the time being, however, Wally was a quiet man who grew lonely and isolated following the loss of his wife who lost her battle with breast cancer..But Wally never really let the world know how he felt..Wally didn’t talk about his wife or the loss he felt. Instead he went about his days, teaching at Lundbreck School during the week and fishing when he had time off..“Wally was someone who was a misfit,” said Judy O’Sullivan, a fellow teacher and tight pal of McNab’s..“I believe he was quite depressed.”.You can call it fate, kismet or dark destiny, but whatever was in the works, it conspired to let lonely Wally and vivacious Lorraine become friends, though that may be stretching it a tad, as far as Lorraine was concerned..Finding a chum was a stroke of luck for friendless Wally, who quickly glommed onto Lorraine and used their camaraderie to suck her into a world where he pulled the strings..As time moved on, Lorraine let Wally know where she stood on the subject of advancing their relationship..“I told him I only could be his friend, there’s no way we’d have a relationship,” Lorraine confided to Sharon..If nothing else, however, Wally was a persistent suitor..He would often buy her flowers and try to take her out for dinner and drop fish at her door..Lorraine wasn’t home several times when Wally dropped by with a full creel, so he’d simply hang the trout on her doorknob and leave. Wally seemed unaware, or did not want to accept the fact, Lorraine sought only his friendship..Still, Wally wouldn’t give up and, finally, soft-hearted Lorraine agreed to go on a canoe outing with him on a local waterway..“He told Lorraine he was experienced in a canoe,” said sister-in-law Sharon..It wouldn’t be long until Lorraine knew Wally’s claims were, to say the least, a bold exaggeration..“I guess they got into some trouble in the water and the canoe upset,” Sharon said..Lorraine was treading water and looking to Wally for help, but none was offered..“I had to turn that canoe over by myself and then get him in to save his life,” she told Sharon..After the botched river trip, Lorraine finally told Wally plainly and simply there was no hope of a romantic relationship. Wally was undaunted and started to telephone her at all hours..It was during that time in 1997 Lorraine met Sopow at a policeman’s ball in Lethbridge..Although Peter — a veteran officer who worked in 16 Alberta communities and became the ranking Mountie at the Fort McLeod detachment — was there with his girlfriend, he and Lorraine connected and danced the night away..They dated several times afterward and Lorraine made it clear from the get-go he was just what she was looking for in a man..“She was going to make him a cowboy and even took him out on horseback trail rides,” said brother, Grant..Sopow was smitten..Unfortunately, so was Wally — even when Lorraine and Peter began dating in earnest, the man couldn’t let go..“He would follow Lorraine and Peter around, he was stalking them,” Sharon said..“Wally would phone and say, ‘I need you, I need you now’ and every time Lorraine said she was busy, he’d say ‘I’ll jump.’”.On the last day of their lives, just 12 days before Christmas, the Mountie and the teacher were having dinner with Lorraine’s dad, Jim, and his wife, Helen, in their Twin Butte area home..The talk was light and the foursome enjoyed each other’s company as they ate and talked of possible hikes along Oregon’s coast and the mountains in Crowsnest when spring winds could be counted on to warm the land..Just after 10 p.m. the four said their goodbyes and Peter wheeled his big truck west, back to Lorraine’s acreage in Pincher Creek. No one really knows what the couple talked about during the drive or what dreams they discussed..What is known is Peter Sopow and Lorraine McNab would have less than a half-hour to live..It was just after 10:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 1997 and the couple were comfortably tired. It’d be good to kick off their shoes and relax before bed..Lorraine’s 18-ft. wide mobile home was dark and not even the bright stars and almost full moon could offer much illumination, blotted as they were by the heavy cloud cover..The wind was gusting, as it often does in that part of southwestern Alberta, and the couple got out of the vehicle..The night was perfect for murder..Lorraine’s son was at his dad’s place in Monarch and her daughter was with her boyfriend. The sky was dark, murky enough for an assassin to lay in wait undetected by his targets or nosy neighbours..The sounds of gunshots would be quickly lost in the raging wind that swept over Lorraine’s property..The killer waited until the couple was near the back door of Lorraine’s porch and then stepped from the shadows and raised his .22-calibre weapon, most likely a rifle..The .22 is an odd weapon for an untrained killer to use; it’s a small calibre weapon commonly used by mobsters and others who kill at close range..Unless the shooter is extremely skilled from a distance, a head shot is the only way to positively kill using it..It’s favoured by assassins especially for that reason; it’s a close range weapon that offers little in the way of a loud report associated with larger calibre weapons. A head shot from a .22 means there’s little possibility of an exit wound — the slug will enter the head at high speed and ricochet inside the skull, causing much damage to the brain before it stops travelling..Investigators don’t believe Sopow and McNab’s killer was a pro, in fact their best bet is the weapon was used because that’s all the murderer had at hand..Police are tight-lipped about how many shots were fired that night or how close the killer was to his prey, but utilizing material gleaned from interviews, information from confidential sources and physical evidence at the scene, what follows is the most likely scenario..The killer shot Sopow at least once in the head. His blood-spattered glasses found near the scene days later would confirm this..Lorraine was startled by the presence of the killer and the weapon in his hand.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.54.19-PMMurder scene. Courtesy CBC .She heard the muted pops of the rifle and, in a surreal instant of utter disbelief, saw her boyfriend collapse to the ground. Somehow, despite the suddenness of the attack and her terror at witnessing it, instinct took over and Lorraine turned and ran for her life..The killer raised the rifle and fired twice..One slug hit Lorraine in the back; the second, almost simultaneous shot, hit her in the blade of her left hand, along the back of her palm. Neither shot was fatal and it’s unlikely Lorraine felt anything more than a punching sensation as she was struck by the bullets..The kindergarten teacher made it to the side of her home and was trying to take shelter under Sopow’s truck when the killer fired again..At least one bullet hit near the right temple, killing her..The killer then dragged both bodies to a nearby horse trailer and laid them side by side, face down..Almost as an afterthought, the murderer positioned one of Peter’s arms across Lorraine’s lifeless body.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.54.35-PMRCMP at murder scene. Courtesy CBC .It’s unknown how long the assassin stayed at the scene, but with the only other occupants of the trailer — McNab’s children — gone for the night and no chance of anyone else arriving, he had plenty of time to perform a last task..The killer meticulously picked up all the items Peter and Lorraine had been carrying and, using a garbage bag he brought himself, put the items inside, then tossed the whole works beside the bodies in the horse trailer..After a final look around, the gutless murderer left the property..The bodies of Peter Sopow and Lorraine McNab would not be found for two more days..McNab’s son returned home after a weekend at his dad’s place, but didn’t have a clue as to where his mother was, even though Lorraine and Peter had their trucks parked in the front yard..The family later learned Sopow was scheduled to drive to Edmonton Monday with a fellow Mountie, but never showed at the arranged rendezvous point..Concerned, Sharon made arrangements to meet a Pincher Creek RCMP officer at Lorraine’s place..She made the 25 minute drive in about 10..Arriving at her sister’s property, Lorraine’s son, David, told her a cop had come and gone but left a message he’d be right back. The officer did come back, but he wasn’t alone. Several Mounties arrived with other officers, dogs and video cameras..By that time Grant arrived at the scene, but police stopped him from going anywhere near the horse trailer around which they were stringing familiar yellow police tape..Not long after Grant and Sharon got home, their phone rang — police asked them to go to the Pincher Creek RCMP detachment..“The police sat us down and dropped the bombshell — they said they found two bodies they had to ID,” Grant recalled..Police said they hadn’t made a positive identification, but through his tears Grant offered to identify his sister — an offer that was refused..Hockey player Grant put on a game face and went to the school where he collected his two daughters and Lorraine’s son..The only sound in the vehicle was emanating from the radio..“I didn’t talk on the way back,” Grant said. “I didn’t know what I was going to say or how I was going to say it.”.Once home, Grant, who knew no other way, just told it as it was..“I said, ‘Lorraine is dead,’” he recalled..“The kids collapsed to the floor, I collapsed to the floor..“We were in a state.”.More than 40 cops began to take direction from a core group of eight major crimes officers, each of whom was an experienced RCMP homicide investigator.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.55.13-PMSopow funeral. Courtesy CBC .With two bodies — one a man that many of the investigators personally knew — everyone thought the killer or killers would soon be in cuffs. They couldn’t have been more wrong..Cops were scrambling to come up with hard evidence: witnesses who last saw the pair and, most importantly, a suspect who had a two-day head start on them..The latter was the easiest task and police began to dig into Sparks’ recent past..They learned he’d played hooky from his teaching duties the day before Sopow and McNab were murdered, but returned to classes the day the bodies were discovered..He was teaching the day investigators interviewed his son who told cops his dad had a .22 calibre rifle, but it mysteriously disappeared days before the killings..Later cops would interview an electrician working near Lorraine’s property. He told police he recalled seeing a red or maroon-coloured car similar to a Mercury Cougar on the road near the murdered woman’s property only a few hours before the killings took place.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.55.53-PMOfficers pay their respect .He described the driver as a slightly built man with grey hair who wore a light brown coat..A red Mercury Cougar was parked in Wally’s garage — RCMP would later confirm they eliminated all other known similar cars in the province except that one..Three days after the murders, police arrested Sparks and took him in for interrogation..After several hours of questioning, Sparks was admitted under warrant for a psychiatric examination at Lethbridge Regional Hospital..Unknown but to just a few, the Mounties had installed an undercover policewoman as a nurse in the hospital. Unfortunately, the attempt revealed nothing new about Sparks..He was released several weeks later and has refused to talk to cops ever since..The only other person to have words with Sparks was former Calgary Sun crime reporter Peter Smith..“I once chased him across a children’s playground in his hometown of Cowley, near Pincher Creek to talk to him,” Smith recalled from his retirement oasis on the west coast. “He told me to F-off then ran and hid in his house.”.No charges have ever been laid against Sparks in connection to the murders, but police said he is the prime and only suspect in the killings..In the months and years following the double-homicide, RCMP launched one of southern Alberta’s biggest manhunts and have since used everything at its disposal to find hard evidence to lay murder charges..A squad of 40 officers, spearheaded by the Calgary RCMP major crimes unit, utilized RCMP K-9 units that searched fields near the murder scene as teams of forensic experts worked on gathering evidence in the yard.. Screen-Shot-2021-04-23-at-4.56.27-PMOfficers search river for murder weapon. Courtesy CBC .Investigators went door-to-door in Pincher Creek, Cowley (where Wally lived) and Lundbreck, (where he used to work with McNab) and investigated close to 1,000 separate tips..An ex-FBI metal detection expert from the U .S. and another from Calgary were brought in to search the murder scene..A forensic soil expert from Winnipeg police was brought in to take samples from the murder scene for future matches against suspects..RCMP purchased hi-tech satellite images to try and find evidence against the killer and searched trains passing through town the day of the shootings, leading investigators as far away as the U.S. to search for the murder weapon — the single, vital piece of evidence they’ve never been able to locate..RCMP also used highly-sensitive equipment and ordinance detection specialists from CFB Suffield, near Medicine Hat, to conduct a third scan on McNab’s acreage for the murder weapon..What they found other than shell casings from various firearms is being held close to the chest; “hold-back” information, in police lingo.Perry Kuzma was the lead investigator in the double-homicide..Long-retired now, he said he still thinks about the case and believes the killer had only one victim in mind when he hid on McNab’s property..“This was not a random act … because it was on her property, I believe Lorraine was the target,” he said years after he retired..Whether the murderer killed Sopow because he had to or wanted to remains a mystery..In an investigation comprised of many ambiguities and one particular aspect of the assassin’s behaviour puzzles Kuzma..“Why did (the killer) even take the time to move the bodies and clean up?” he said..“Only the person who did it knows for sure.”.One possible theory is the killer tried to create a perfect crime scene, one bereft of even the barest clues..If that is indeed what he wanted to do, he failed..“It’s not a perfect crime scene – it was cleaned up, but not perfectly cleaned up,” Kuzma said..“It did yield useful forensic evidence, DNA evidence, which points to the killer.”.Despite the failure to nail a suspect, police have many times revisited the case..But even the RCMP’s famed cold case squad — which has gone over the evidence and every facet of the case — was unable to find anything new..Earlier in the investigation cops said their only chance at getting the killer was to find the murder weapon — or if he confessed. Now they say it’s only a matter of time before science catches up to the evidence. much like it did when DNA was first used for identification and the results accepted as evidence by the courts..When that day comes, cops say they’ll have a double-murderer behind bars..If you know anything about the murders, no matter how trivial you may believe it to be, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477..Mike D’Amour is the British Columbia Bureau Chief for the Western Standard. For years he was an investigative crime reporter for Sun Media..,.mdamour@westernstandardonline.com
