Murder in any community can be shocking, particularly to the small township next to Sault Ste. Marie known as Tarentorus.
On April 5 of 1962 at approximately 2:30 p.m., Robert J. Bell drove into his home on Elmwood Ave. His neighbour Annie Mathieu (Kendrick), aged 45, arrived home at the same time following her shift at the F.J. Davey Home. He remembers waving to her and he hadn’t been home more than a few minutes before her common-law husband Jesse Casey Kendrick (52) came knocking at his door.
Mr. Kendrick asked Mr. Bell to call the police. When Mr. Bell suggested they call the doctor Mr. Kendrick replied “No, There’s no use.”
Tarentorus Chief Harold Allard and Constable Robert Turner were the officers who answered the emergency call that day. When they arrived at the scene they found Ms. Mathieu’s body in the kitchen with a gunshot wound to her chest. The officers recovered a .12 gauge shotgun which would later be identified as the murder weapon.
Neither Robert Bell nor his wife or mother-in-law heard any weapons fire. He was amazed that Jesse Kendrick was so calm and when he left with the police he asked if he could bring his bird over to the Bell’s house.
The shooting occurred after a two or three-week separation and this was the first time Ms. Mathieu had returned to the house. It was also specified that Mr. Kendrick had not been employed in years and that the couple often argued over the years.
Annie’s funeral service was held on April 9, 1962. On May 1, 1962, Mr. Kendrick was committed to trial on the charge of capital murder after a brief hearing.
The Crown Attorney Dick Sheehy called four witnesses one of them being their neighbour Robert Bell who gave his testimony. Chief Constable also submitted two No. 5 shotgun shells as evidence. After hearing from witnesses and reviewing evidence Magistrate Langdon stated there was enough evidence for a trial.
In October of 1962, at the trial of Jesse Casey Kendrick, he entered a plea of guilty and was sentenced by the Honourable Mr. Justice Landreville for the murder of Annie Mathieu.
In a statement, Mr. Kendrick said he had wanted Annie to come back to him but she had begun dating someone new. On the day of the murder, there had been an argument and he went to the kitchen to get a drink of water and when he was returning to the front room Annie was coming towards him.
He had picked up the shotgun and shot her two times at which time he went next door to call the police and returned home to wait for their arrival.
According to Mr. Nixon, Mr. Kendrick had suffered from a heart attack a number of years ago making him unable to work and was dependent on Ms. Mathieu financially and emotionally.
Jesse Casey Kendrick was sentenced to life imprisonment and it was the first time in the history of Sault Ste. Marie that a defendant had pleaded guilty to murder.
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