Gilbert Paul Jordan (born Gilbert Paul Elsie; December 12, 1931 – July 7, 2006), known as The Boozing Barber, was a Canadian serial killer who is believed to have committed the so-called "alcohol murders" in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Background
Jordan, a former barber, was linked to the deaths of between eight and ten women between 1965 and 1988; he was the first Canadian known to use alcohol as a murder weapon. Jordan's lengthy criminal record started in 1952 and includes convictions for rape, indecent assault, abduction, hit and run, drunk driving and car theft.
In 1976, Jordan was examined by Dr. Tibor Bezeredi as part of a court proceeding. Bezeredi diagnosed Jordan as having an antisocial personality, defined by Bezeredi as "a person whose conduct is maladjusted in terms of social behaviour; disregard for the rights of others which often results in unlawful activities".
Killings
Jordan is thought to have begun serial killing in 1965. He is considered a serial killer as he was linked to the deaths of between eight and ten women, but was only convicted in the manslaughter death of one woman. His victims were First Nations women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Typically he would find women in bars, and buy them drinks, or pay them for sex and encourage them to drink with him. When they passed out, he would pour liquor down their throats. The resulting deaths were reported as alcohol poisoning and police paid little attention, because some of his victims suffered from alcoholism. Although the newspapers often described the women as sex workers, not all were involved in sex work. Jordan was known for drinking more than 50 ounces of vodka each day.
The first woman known to have died by alcohol poisoning while in Jordan's company was in 1965. As would become a pattern, a switchboard operator, Ivy Rose, was found naked and dead in a Vancouver hotel. Her blood alcohol level was 0.51. No charges were laid.
Court proceedings show "he sought out approximately 200 women per year for binge-drinking episodes covering the period from 1980 to 1988. He was also looking for sexual gratification." Further, the Crown provided evidence that Jordan was linked to the deaths of six other First Nations women. Similar fact evidence showed Jordan had been with the following women at the time of their deaths:
Mary Johnson, November 30, 1980, at the Aylmer Hotel, Blood alcohol level: .34
Barbara Paul, September 11, 1981, at the Glenaird Hotel, Blood alcohol level: .41 Mary Johns, July 30, 1982, at 2503 Kingsway (his barbershop) Blood alcohol level: .76 Patricia Thomas, December 15, 1984, at 2503 Kingsway (his barbershop) Blood alcohol level: .51 Patricia Andrew, June 28, 1985, at 2503 Kingsway (his barbershop) Blood alcohol level: .79 Vera Harry, November 19, 1986, at the Clifton Hotel, Blood alcohol level: .04
Investigation
On October 12, 1987, Vanessa Lee Buckner was found naked on the floor of the Niagara Hotel after a night of drinking with Jordan. There is some debate regarding the victim. Some sources indicate that she was a white woman, not a heavy drinker, nor was she a sex worker. However, official court records describe Buckner's death as the result of Jordan "supplying a lethal amount of liquor to a female alcoholic, who died as a result". Buckner had recently lost custody of her newborn baby, who had been born with a drug dependency. She "was an alcoholic and a taker of various kinds of drugs." Jordan's fingerprints were found and linked to Buckner's death. A month after her death, another woman, Edna Shade, was found dead in another hotel.
After being questioned, Jordan was not charged with any crime related to Buckner's death. However, police initiated surveillance on Jordan. Between October 12 and November 26, 1987, police watched him "search out native Indian women in the skid row area of Vancouver. On four different occasions they [the police] rescued the woman involved before she too became a victim". Those women were:
Rosemary Wilson, November 20, 1987, at the Balmoral Hotel, Blood alcohol level: .52 Verna Chartrand, November 21, 1987, at the Pacific Hotel, Blood alcohol level: .43 Sheila Joe, November 25, 1987, at the Rainbow Hotel, Blood alcohol level: unknown Mabel Olson, November 26, 1987, at the Pacific Hotel, Blood alcohol level: unknown
According to the court records, police listening outside the hotel rooms heard Jordan say such things as: