June 6, 2008 Winnepeg, Canada: Kelly John Clarke, 38, sometimes called the Tiger Man of St. Clements has been charged with two counts of first degree murder in connection with the brutal killings of Joel Labossiere, 34, and his pregnant wife Magdalena, 33, who were found shot to death inside their St. Vital house on April 20. Clarke first made headlines in 1997 when his Midwest Exotics – a business that bought and sold exotic animals to pet stores, zoos and universities – brought to his St. Clements home Sheena, a Siberian tiger. When his trailer burned to the ground 1998, surrounding residents pressured council to bring forward a restricted exotic animal bylaw. Most of the animals were confiscated, but in August 1999, Winnipeg police seized the 250-kilogram Sheena after the tiger was spotted in a cage in the back of a van in River Heights. In December 2001 Clarke was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison and a 10-year weapons prohibition for 14 armed robberies. He went on the spree to fund a $1,000-a-day crack cocaine habit. In August 2007, Clarke was arrested in Selkirk and charged with intimidation after allegedly disrupting a Winnipeg trial and following a Crown attorney while she drove home from work. These are the kind of people who have big cats as pets.

Tiger man in the tank
Former St. Clements exotic pet owner charged with first degree murder

Friday June 06, 2008

By Mark T. Buss

The one-time Tiger Man of St. Clements has been caged.

Kelly John Clarke, 38, has been charged with two counts of first
degree murder in connection with the brutal killings of Joel
Labossiere and his pregnant wife Magdalena two months ago.

Joel, 34, and Magdalena, 33, were found shot to death inside their
St. Vital house on April 20. Their one-year-old daughter was found
unharmed inside the home by police.

Winnipeg police arrested Clarke without incident at about 6 p.m. on
May 28 as he drove in Garden City. Authorities were unable to release
information as to why their interest turned to Clarke in the double-
homicide.

Clarke's arrest is another twist in a disturbing string of murders
involving the Labossiere family and, what police believe, involves a
court battle for the family estate.

Joel and Magdalena were relatives of Fernand Labossiere, 78, his 74-
year-old wife Rita and their son Remi, 44, all of whom were found
shot in the head in November 2005 in the burned-out remains of their
farmhouse in the St. Leon area.

Last month, RCMP charged three men with first-degree murder in the
2005 shooting deaths. One of the suspects charged was Fernand and
Rita's son – and Joel's uncle – Denis Jerome Labossiere, a known
Hell's Angels associate.

With Remi taking over the family farm prior to his demise, his seven-
year-old will left the estate to nieces and nephews.

After the triple murder, Jerome produced a new will that left the
estate to his teenage son. Relatives claim the second will was a
forgery.

Joel had a protection order against his uncle Jerome and claimed in
court documents Jerome was trying to get him to give up his stake in
the $1.3-million estate prior to his death.

On May 1, members of the RCMP emergency response team arrested Jerome
during a dramatic takedown on Riverton Avenue in Elmwood where
several unmarked police vehicles boxed in a pickup truck before
smashing the truck's windows and tossing a smoke bomb inside the cab.

The tactical unit pulled Labossiere and another man – who turned out
to be Clarke – from the truck at gunpoint. The two men apparently
worked together for a local construction company.

Clarke was released at that time and not charged in connection with
the St. Leon murders.

Sheena

Clarke first made headlines in the Selkirk Journal and province wide
in 1997 when his Midwest Exotics – a business that bought and sold
exotic animals to pet stores, zoos and universities – brought to his
St. Clements home an unusual house pet in Sheena, a sixth-generation
born in captivity Siberian tiger.

When the trailer he and his common-law wife and two small children
lived in on Ashfield Road burned to the ground 1998, the blaze forced
surrounding residents to pressure council to bring forward a
restricted exotic animal bylaw. The animals were removed for the
family's safety, as well as the safety of the community at large.

In August 1999, Winnipeg police seized the 250-kilogram Sheena after
the tiger was spotted in a cage in the back of a van in River
Heights. Clarke was charged days later while trying to visit Sheena
at Assiniboine Park Zoo.

The tiger was donated to an Ontario zoo in March 2000.

In December 2001, things took a turn for the worse for Clarke, who
was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison and a 10-year weapons
prohibition for 14 armed robberies. Clarke apparently pulled a
bandanna over his face and brandished a knife during most of the
retail thefts. His lawyer at the time said he went on the spree to
fund a $1,000-a-day crack cocaine habit.

In August 2007, Clarke was arrested in Selkirk and charged with
intimidation after allegedly disrupting a Winnipeg trial and
following a Crown attorney while she drove home from work. The
intimidation charges were stayed.

http://www.selkirkjournal.com/News /405492.html