Mike on Crime

By Mike McIntyre
Winnipeg Free Press

A former Manitoba government executive will be flown back to Winnipeg to face criminal charges that he killed his wife, Beverly Rowbotham.

Mark Stobbe faces a second-degree murder charge in the case after Tuesday’s dramatic end to a nearly eight-year RCMP investigation into the slaying of Rowbotham just north of Winnipeg.

Stobbe, who has publicly vowed to do whatever he could to help police catch the killer, was arrested just before 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Saskatchewan Craft Council in Saskatoon, where he was serving as executive director.

His two children were in school at the time and would have been notified by police, along with family members, of the arrest.

“This matter is going to go to trial,” Winnipeg defence lawyer Tim Killeen told the Free Press just moments after learning his client was in custody.

Killeen said the arrest took everyone by surprise.

“I don’t have any idea what occurred to bring this case to this stage,” said Killeen, who was planning to speak with Stobbe by telephone later in the day. Stobbe will likely be returned to Winnipeg for a court appearance later this week.

Police had recently given some very public hints that a dramatic development was on the horizon.

It was a just a few weeks ago that Mike Luchenko, a prosecutor from B.C., told court that investigators have forwarded the Rowbotham case to an independent Crown attorney for review. He said they expected to “fish or cut bait” by June 30. RCMP spokeswoman Line Karpish said Tuesday that although it took time, Mounties were finally able to gather enough evidence to support the charges against Stobbe.

“It’s been a long haul, no doubt about it… today was the day,” she said.

Karpish said police were happy to see the case move forward, especially as it may bring some comfort to Rowbotham’s relatives.

“We’re happy to bring a sense of relief to the family,” Karpish said.

Rowbotham’s brother-in-law, Ed Bachewich, told the Free Press Tuesday afternoon that family members had no comment “at this time.” Other relatives didn’t return calls seeking comment.

Rowbotham, 42, was found dead inside her tan Ford Crown Victoria in a gas station parking lot in Selkirk in the early morning of Oct. 25, 2000. Immediately after her killing, the RCMP assured the public there was no reason to fear a random killer was on the loose, but never said why.

Rowbotham, Stobbe and their children had moved from Regina about five months before the slaying when Stobbe accepted a senior position on the provincial cabinet’s community and economic development committee. It co-ordinates major projects in Manitoba that require interdepartmental collaboration.

Stobbe had been a high-ranking adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow before coming to Manitoba. In the late 1980s he had also served as an assistant in the Saskatchewan constituency office of then-NDP MLA Pat Atkinson. Now NDP deputy leader, Atkinson refused comment Tuesday on Stobbe’s arrest.

Rowbotham grew up in Regina and graduated with a BA from the University of Saskatchewan in 1978. She and Stobbe married in 1993 and lived in Regina, where she worked for several years in the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission until moving to Manitoba

Stobbe filed a lawsuit against two insurance companies in 2003 for failing to pay him more than $215,000 following Rowbotham’s death. The issue was later settled out of court when the companies agreed to pay.

Stobbe has always been the prime suspect in his wife’s death — a fact revealed exclusively by the Free Press two years ago following a court battle to gain access to search warrant documents.

Queen’s Bench Justice Joan McKelvey restricted public access only to materials dealing with forensic aspects of the case. That decision was upheld earlier this month and a new year-long sealing order granted.

The Mounties called in an Alberta prosecutor to review the case in February 2001, but no charges were authorized. The RCMP said they opted for the out-of-province prosecutor because Stobbe held a high-ranking provincial government position at the time.

Stobbe has always maintained his innocence and the case appeared to be growing colder despite extensive interviews, forensic analysis and public pleas for information.

The investigation suffered a significant blow in October 2001 when one of the lead investigators committed suicide.

The RCMP cold-case unit took over the investigation in 2005 and police remained tight-lipped about what, if any, progress has been made.

Stobbe has spoken publicly only through his lawyer, Tim Killeen, who said two years ago his client is focused on raising his two children “and hopes police ultimately come to a resolution of their investigation.”