One of Canada's most notorious serial killers, Clifford Olson, is dead at 71, putting an end to a legacy of anguish for the families of his victims.
For Terry Bizeau, mother of Terri Lyn Carson, who was murdered at 15, the relief was overwhelming.
"How can you put feelings into words," Bizeau told the Star. "Justice has finally been done... If they cremate him, I hope they flush his ashes in the toilet." Only now through Olson's death, like so many families of the victims, is she able to gain closure.
Olson had served nearly 30 years of 11 consecutive life sentences for torturing, sexually assaulting and murdering eight girls and three boys in British Columbia the early 1980s. But even prison didn't stop him from amassing wealth.
At the time of his arrest in 1982, Olson brokered a deal -- for a staggering $100,000 -- to reveal where he had buried his victims' bodies. The money was left in trust for his son and estranged wife. He also sold his possessions on an auction website, and traded drugs illegally while incarcerated.
Throughout his 'career' as a criminal, he racked up 83 convictions and was never far from the limelight for all the wrong reasons.
"The first 17 years, he was in the news every month, like clockwork," recalled Raymond King, father of 15-year-old Raymond Jr. "It was really impossible to heal... [Now] the thorns' out of my side and it's going to heal."
Next of kin for Olson are currently being sought. If no one claims his body, officials vow that he will be buried in an undisclosed location, and there will be no ceremony or memorials.
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