Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 13, 2001, Winnipeg, Manitoba A4 local 2001 the Stoppels from Page a1 talking about her life brings a shy smile to Muriels face her daughters is not a topic she Speaks about the Stoppel family has shied away from the Media spotlight since Barbara was strangled at age 16 and left for dead in the Boni face doughnut shop where she was working alone on but barbaras brother Rick and his sat Down to talk about the last 20 years and the physical and financial toll on their the Stoppels broke their silence on the last Day of the eight month inquiry into Thomas Sopho nows wrongful soph now was convicted twice of murdering Barbara before being acquitted by the Manitoba court of Appeal in he is now seeking up to million in compensation for his but clearly the Stoppels have survived and continue to survive an ordeal of their until last when Winnipeg police told them they had uncovered a new the family believed soph now was the Mon Ster who killed Barbara in cold so convinced of his guilt were they that after soph now was acquitted and Rick warned his two Young daughters about being on guard when in pub Lic in Case soph now approached we waited for 15 years for a phone Call telling us soph now made a mistake and had been arrested for something said a local real estate agent who along with his Mother didst miss a Day of the testimony at the the authorities tainted our mind that soph now was absolutely guilty even after he was until october 1999 we believed he was Winnipeg police reopened their investigation into barbaras death in 1999 and announced that soph now was innocent last shortly after exonerating police revealed they were pursuing another suspect Terry Arnold who has a Long record of sexual assaults and is awaiting a second trial in connection with the 1992 murder of a British Columbia that news has frustrated and angered the who offered investigators Arnolds name As a possible suspect just five Days after Barbara was Joe 9rvksa Winnipeg free press archives soph now seeking million saying he had been a Cus Tomer at the doughnut spoke to Muriel when he visited Barbara in Hospital after the basically were Back to Decem Ber if they had Only properly investigated Arnold said running a hand through his my sister lived for 16 years the Pursuit of Justice has taken during the Winnipeg police admitted that while a total of eight officers investigated Arnold after the he slipped through the cracks As a we put our total Trust in the authorities and now were unsure if the real killer will Ever be brought to Rick so much time has passed and wit Nesses memories have faded and evidence has been How can they possibly build a Case against this Guy both Rick and Muriel say the Pursuit of Justice Over the last 20 years have consumed them Mak ing it difficult to focus on work or daily they Are a Strong relying heavily on each other for support and keeping their emotions in Check like those who have been through the worst and Are steeling themselves to endure you struggle you have said who lost her Hus band Fred in but i dont know what in doing sometimes ill put the cat in the fridge and the milk on the throughout the eight months of testimony at the inquiry the Stop Pels sat reliving the night of barbaras death Over in their soph now with family in Vancouver As probe ends Hes very much under stress by this and its better he not be Here by Lea Janzen Barbara Stoppel wanted to be an her Mother Muriel struggling to attend the hearings and run his often had clients meet him at the courtroom to finalize House deals and spent most evenings trying to catch up at Muriel said she takes strength from her children and five grand but conceded the inquiry process had left her sleepless and throughout it All she Hast lost Faith in there must be something some where that Means she said the family has now come to believe fully in Sopho nows inno at the beginning of the Rick approached the Man he once viewed As his Sisters killer and offered his i told him the family now knows he want barbaras he but perhaps because they share such horrible memories with soph now Muriel and Rick said they Likely wont stay in touch with Muriel regularly takes the bus from her East Kildonan Home to Brookside cemetery to visit the Graves of her husband Fred and it gives her she to tidy up the plots and spend Rick spends much of his time trying to keep up to Date on the new investigation into his Sisters death in an Effort to find the closure that has eluded his we spent 20 years doing things we didst want to he we sat through trials and waited for juries to it All seems like it was for nothing Jay the Stoppels has asked inquiry commissioner Peter Cory to consider recommending compensation for the were just asking for consider he the Stoppels continue to be victims in this matter it Doest take much evidence to show o the wrongful conviction inquiry Thomas soph now fought so Long and hard for wrapped up but he did not take attended most of the hearings Over the last eight months but found the process so painful he chose to spend the final few weeks at Home with his fam i Hope soph now will heal As a result of Sopho nows Lyle har said outside the court Hes resting in Vancouver with family and children who need him very Hes very much under stress by this and its better he not be the inquiry heard from More than 65 witnesses detailing what went wrong in the investigation and prose cution of who was convicted of the 1981 murder of 16yearold Barbara but others testified to Sopho nows mental instability and touched on everything from his sexual proclivities to psychotic episodes he experienced after his prison release in the dissection of his life and problems became difficult for soph now to endure and his lawyers worry the worst is yet to he suffered increased agitation As the commission went Harris anyone who sees soph now will conclude that when this is Over Hes going to crash and will take a Long time to Harris said the nearly four years soph now spent in prison coupled with the 15 years he spent struggling to Clear his name have taken a serious toll and soph now will Likely require intense counselling for the rest of his in an email from his Van Couver soph now said he will wait until inquiry commissioner Peter Cory releases his final report before speaking about the it is of my considered opinion that until the inquiry is Over which includes the written report from Justice Cory it would be improper for me to comment on any he to the inquiry has Cost the province nearly million in Legal fees and court but it could wind up costing taxpayers even More if Cory approves a request from Sopho nows lawyers for a compensation the province has countered with a recommendation of the Stoppel family has asked for compensation As before closing the Cory said he Hopes his recommendations due before september 30 will be used to prevent innocent people from being jailed in Manitoba and across the r 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