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 Download Flash Player to view this content. 'Til Death Do Us Part: Synopsis
That Mary Beth Harshbarger shot and killed her husband Mark on a hunting trip to Newfoundland in 2006 has never been in dispute. Whether it was the terrible accident she claimed, or the criminal negligence with which she was charged has been a topic of heated debate among family, friends and experts since.
Harshbarger has always insisted that when she looked through her rifle scope, it was a bear she saw coming towards her, not her husband. Although acquitted by a Newfoundland court last Friday, in the trial's aftermath, the fifth estate takes a closer look at the evidence and arguments involved in this complex story. Bob McKeown takes us to Newfoundland and Pennsylvania to examine key questions about Mary Beth Harshbarger's personal history and behaviour after the shooting, interviewing family members and friends. Some stand solidly behind her and view the events as a tragic accident. Others harbour profound doubts about what happened and feel the trial in Newfoundland didn't begin to provide the answers they need about the death of Mark Harshbarger. For the first time, the fifth estate probes aspects of the story that never made it into the courtroom. |
 Bob McKeown has a record few Canadian journalists can match: two Emmys, three Geminis and a Grey Cup … Read more Connect with the fifth estate
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A distance of 60+ yards is becomes very close in a scope, especially depending its power. Upon hearing the background of these 'hunters', there is no doubt she had a powerful scope which would of made the target appear very close in deed, at that rage.
I agree with her whole-heartedly. I would like to see an update on how the family is coping and what
MaryBeth is doing.
I agree with you Amy.....my heart goes out to this family. If she did kill her husband she has to live with herself.
I just watched the episode entitled Til Death Do Us Part. MaryBeth Harshbarger is a very scary woman! And I don't think she's done yet! I think Dean is right to be afraid of her & to be afraid that she will do more to his family the next time she has an episode. Barry's body language spoke a thousand words when he was being interviewed & I wonder if he is with her to protect his family - perhaps she has threatened the family & promises to leave them alone as long as he is on her side! When she has the mental ability to choose which things about her past she needs to keep secret from her new family because those things would alarm them & maybe even stop the wedding, can we really say that she can't be responsible for her actions & that she is mentally incompetant? I think there was a plan in place long before they left home for the hunting trip! She's a master at her craft! Where is her family & what are their opinions?
must cbc beat this story to death. every sunday morning enough all ready.please move on.
exactly....she said "I put my scope on HIM".... not IT....and "I had a blister"....I think that woman was clearly let away with murder.
Dear Linden MacIntyre and Bob McKeown,
After watching "Til Death Do Us Part", I find it profoundly odd/strange that no mention was made to the fact that when hunting, a bright ORANGE JACKET, hat and/or other paraphernalia was not worn. Is it not law that some clothing of this nature is worn to distinguish human from animal?
It almost appears that Mark Harshbarger wanted to commit suicide by wearing black clothing out hunting bear.
But how do you mistake a human to be a bear with a high powered scope?
Evidently something is amiss and an injustice has been done.
Scandalous!!!! Scandalous!!!!
Regards,
Cedric Hughes
Port Hawkesbury
Nova Scotia
I just saw a repeat of the Harshburger hunting story and the thing that struck me was during the audio of the wife's interview with the RCMP. She says, "I loved him." Past tense, a short time after allegedly accidentally shooting him. If she was telling the truth about what happened I think she might possibly still love him. I just found it curious. When did she stop loving him exactly?
I believe the judge did a great job. I have been watching W5 for a long time and i am convinced tht W5 are only interested in making a one sided story! I first caught it With what W5 called a moving scan in Toronto Lady driver for a moving co. from Victory BC. the mover did nothing wrong. the driver was 100% right.and W5 was one sided for a story and were 100% wrong. I do not know these people, but I do have moving experience and I can tell you that lady was a pro. first collect the the C.O.D.before you drive on the property.W5 did everything against the law and W5 got away with it. Do not trust W5...Zane
TOTAL AGREE WITH YOUR COMMENT SO TOTALLY DEVOTED
TO HER HUSBAND "had the perfect relationship"
BUT COULDN'T ATTEND TO HIM AFTER SHE SHOT HIM BECAUSE OF A "blister" IT MAY HAVE SOUNDED BETTER IT SHE HAD CLAIMED SHE WAS IN COMPLETE 'shock
We just watched the whole show on the Fifth estate. Not one thing was mentioned about what collie clothing he was wearing. We have a hunter orange law here. Is there not a hunter orange law there????
I am not a hunter, but if I were, would I not want to be 110% certain that my target is what I think it is?
I cannot imagine being out with friends or family, with a loaded weapon, and not want to be absolutely positive they are not in my line of site, near or afar!
One other point, do hunters not wear brightly coloured outerwear when hunting?
Mary-Beth "I put my scope on him"
RCMP interview tape
what did the newfie guide have to say about what happened? and is he possibly the one who screamed?
I was watching the story just aired, Til Death we do Part. I was just wondering why the guide who was on the hunting trip was not interviewed by your show.
What the outside world don't know is "CANADIAN JUSTICE SYSTEM" one thing I can say is CANADA is "A CRIMINAL CAGE" I know because I lived in this country the past 28 years and their systems is failure. I feel so sorry for Mark's family,for Mary beth Harshbarger,she know something about Canada's criminal system also she knew what she was doing and she did it for her own interest,she didn't care about no one. The Canadian criminal justice system failure to charge her in any way.
There are three sides to every story, the Harshbarger's story, Mary Beth's story and the Truth!!! Mary Beth I think you are out numbered. You should come forward now and let the truth be known before it eats away at your soul if you still have one!!!
I've been a guide and worked with bear hunters, the size of the caliber of the rifle or shotgun is not a primary concern, although it should be taken into consideration. A shot gun slug will bring down a mighty bear, if the shot is placed properly. large bears are regularly hunted and killed with the Bow and Arrow. I'm sure that the caliber of her rifle would not be a consideration in her guilt or innocence.
Was Mary Beth Harshbarger "loaded for bear"? I'm not a hunter but I would have thought you might need bigger firepower to bring down a bear than a man. What did she fire at the "bear"? Might it support her position if she had in fact made the correct type of shot for a bear? Or was she using a lower firepower rifle, knowing she would be hitting a human? I guess with the blisters she was not prepared to hunt down and properly end (or save) the life of a wounded animal of any kind if she missed her shot.
it seems to me that the canadian justice system could improve their efforts in prosecuting cases such as the haschbarger one. unbelieveable! how does a background check on her character and her behavior right after the incident and then shacking up with the victims brother not play into coming to a reasonable conclusion of this case? Wow! i know watching this show, the point was to raise reasonable doubt. It would have done for the justice department to have probed in the same manner. And she has the kids? i guess there may well be another chapter on this story.....
It is interesting to note how our society has degenerated into a society of blame someone else for our own actions..Sure we all have our past experiences to bear..but do you go to the bottle or other addictions to get over it? Yes some do..Mr Fleury is very fortunate, he had the opportunity for a career, with remuneration for life, fame etc..instead he chose to fritter it away in self pity and backward looking philosphy, and lose himself and his lucrative career in booze and drugs..This does not accept what happened to him..but rather the question is if something bad happens to you, which it does to a lot of people ..do you let it dominate and ruin the rest of your life?? At some point you have to move on!
I am a Mother and i feel for those mothers how lost their sons in Albert. I think the problem is almost all this families that lost this kids are living project home. where drugs are command,and most of those kids has no row modal. mothers can only do so much with kids especially boys..these kids need both parents..i dont know why these fathers are not helping their wife with all the kids..this men want to have alot of kids and they want to living and a single man too. they cant have both ways..it is sad to see what is happing in there community...
totally agree.
I agree 100% with Ahmed's comments and that the fix has to start within the community and men may have to be present in their children's lives.
I used to live in Toronto and now i live in America and the diffrence is opertunity and motivation. Being a young Somali black Male in America is hard aswell if not harder but the one thing i blame this situation on is the fathers no one is showing us how to be men but the streets so lets not blame on the government even tho they should be doing more, why, if we truly are our brothers keeper then we should of helped those young men into doing something more productive with their lives even with some advice.
But not compassionate enough to go check on the husband that she claimed she knew she had automatically shot based on the scream, because she had blisters on her feet....Right.
Or just make absolutely sure you know what you're shooting at. Diligence, people.
It's funny how Theo Fleury had all the trappings, the money, the contract, the talent and the ego to go with all that, and that is probably also what kept him in pain so much longer than Sheldon Kennedy. It reminds me that hitting rock bottom aka things getting weird enough to where you make a change and start the healing process.
Why can I not see this program online? I am only able to view the preview and not the whole program. Why?
I cried ---for the little boy who was Fleury --
for the monster that was created by James in the spirit that was Theo Fleury. Trying to run from the tortured adult he became. James should suffer a fate of being incarcerated for life for what he did to all the boys...and not in a plush prison.
I pray for each and every child - boy - now adult who suffered at James' hands and may every abuser get the message --- this has to stop. May every parent talk to their child to be open with them and that they will always support them
I pray for peace for Theo. I pray for peace for Kennedy. I pray for peace for them all
heidi
It IS frustrating!! There are many programs in the US that we cannot watch on the internet. ABC, NBC, CBS, A&E .... these are just some of the programmers we, as Canadians have problems viewing. That would be fine EXCEPT... We PAY for those stations on cable, and as such, I believe we have a right to watch them, or additional content ONLINE.
Perhaps one day it will happen for us.
Rockman
If she was looking through her scoop for 2-3 minutes before taking the shot, what was Marc doing? It doesnt take that long to walk across a field?
hey;i hunted all my life and it burn's my brain to know this woman'if you call her that to hear a scream out of any animal that you kill would scream;that is the first sign of evidence.i hunted all those animal's for 30 years and when i killed i never heard a scream yet;and you won't not in this lifetime;police and wildlife officer's give mark a ssecond chance this make's newfoundland hunter's to be dummies.
It is just so interesting that you were "all right there with them" and KNOW exactly what happened, even though some of the best experts have already said what they feel happened. This was a horrible, horrible accident. And in my opinion (and that's all this is, opinion and conjecture) she was tried and found not guilty for a reason. Seeing Mark and Mary Beth together with and AS a family, I can with good conscience that this was surely an accident. The Harshbarger children need their mom home with them. There are many piece to be picked up - there was NO conspiracy, plain and simple.
Wow after watching this i sure do believe this woman got away with murder.This should be brought back to courts again. Justice has failed for the harshbarger family.
My thoughts and prayers are with the harshbarger family.
Amy Newfoundland
Why am I not able to watch the espisodes on line. When I hit the forward arrow, nothing happens.
Could the horrifying scream have been his terror at seeing his wife aiming the gun at him? It doesn't seem likely that he could have had a chance to scream in pain. I've wondered over and over why anyone would bring their kids along on such a casual and poorly organized bear hunt at dusk, without red hunting vests and with only a so called sloppy hunting guide? Nope, something fishy in Newfoundland for sure and it isn't the fish. Personally, I don't understand a woman that is able to shoot an animal AND in front of her children anyway. So perhaps she could be as heartless towards a human being. I have my doubts that justice was served.
Brad, my condolences to you and your family for your loss and for the continued grief you have to endure knowing she got away with something very wrong. However, I agree with you. What goes around, comes around eventually. Everyone, including her family will have doubts that she will have to face the rest of her life. Sadly the children will grow up and have the same questions the rest of the nation has. How, why and what really happened to our Daddy? Take care of yourself.
I'm almost 60 and hunted most of my life. I've seen plenty of other hunters in the bush and never ever mistook one for anything other than a man. After watching the programme, there is no doubt in my mind she knew what she was shooting at.
Pete, you clearly don't know much about bears OR the case if you think she shot the bear thinking she was defending her children. They were safe in a truck. Bears aren't bloodthirsty monsters - had she merely yelled it likely would have frightened one away, if not she could hop in the truck. Her husband is not only obviously nto a bear, but certainly can't be mistaken for one making threatening gestures. She also had a hunting tag FOR a bear.
Here in Canada you can't shoot a bear just because it's there and "might" attack. The vast majority of bear encounters end peacefully. We rely on skilled hunting, not unloading a clip at anything that moves.
Intentions or what she thought she saw are irrelevant. At best, this was criminal negligence when she fired her weapon at an unconfirmed target through a scope at 50 yards.
My heart goes out to you and your family. Your brother may not fully understand the danger he is in.
Pete, there are no grizzly bears in NL.
OK here's the "skinny" you do NOT accidentally shoot your husband. It is an absolute, that you intended to do. I, as an American living in Canada for 36 years and come from a hunting family, know there is never an excuse for what this woman did. Accidents do happen, but this was no accident. You know your prey, you focus on your prey, and you kill your prey. That's a motto every hunter in the world understands.
Do you pay?
My thoughts exactly Deanne the RCMP screwed up from day one and the judge should retire, our justice system is a complete joke!
If she is a truly outdoor person, there is no way she would have a blister on her foot keeping her to walk 62 meters. Why did the RCMP did not take a picture of her foot?
I have seen plenty of court decisions end with favorible results for the bad guy (or gal), but this case is just beyond belief.
I have seen my father and his brother suffer immeasurably because of one persons greed, and
I can only wonder how can something this wrong go unpunished?
But then again when you stop and think about it some day M.B. you will be re-tried....no, not in Canada and not in the U.S.A. think about it real hard....all the money in the world woulnt help you then and there is no appeal process in that court.......have fun while you can some day it will all end.....just like it did for Mark only you woulnt see Mark where your going.....
My thoughts exactly Sara! I made the comment as we watched the show. Hearing the scream and died instantly just don't jive together.....
Does a bear make a "God awful scream" I think not. So why didn't she go to him after she shot him. After a scream like that nothing should have stopped her from going to him.
Thirty years ago this month, my brother was mistaken for a moose and shot by a 'meat-hunter' cruising the back roads of northern Ontario. He broke many laws and regulations in firing after dusk, shooting from his vehicle, across a road, etc. It is often said if you want to get away with killing someone, take them hunting.
I listened to the Fifth Estate story about Mark Harshbarger and one thing has been bothering me...They said he died instantly. Would he have had time to give the "God awful scream" Mary Beth said she heard before he died or did she hear the scream because Mark knew what was going to happen and was screaming at her to stop!!!Thank you for bringing us stories like this so we can get more detailed information from both sides.
I don't really understand if her husband was concerned about his safety as someone in their hometown suggested why would he go hunting with her #2 not have her in his sight at all times.After all she did have a gun.
I agree that justice was not served in this case. I do have two questions after watching the show ... why were experienced hunters in the woods without wearing hunter orange? If Mark told people she was going to shoot and kill him, why would he go into the woods with her carrying a gun?
Is our RCMP now made up of a bunch of nincompoops? Her testimony is so obviously a lie. She states that her husband let out this horrible scream. That is complete bs. If one is hit in the upper torso with a bullet from a high powered rifle it is impossible to even speak let alone scream loudly. And not one person in your expose questions this part of her statement. Hello planet earth... anyone with a brain out there?
The Fifth Estate is one of my favorite programs and They stop at nothing to try to get the right answers for people and they expose corruption and the dirty truth for what it really is. Let's you know how corrupt some Police and the legal system can be.
As a licensed hunter,and being ex-military, I find it amazing that another woman gets off with murder in this country. The facts that the court did not hear,proves pre-meditation. And the police can not even preform the same tests as W5? Disgusting!
Cant believe the courts wouldnt take into account the brother and MaryBeth being so intimate that soon after such a tragity
I immediately thought that this woman must be manic-depressive.
Thank you for showing the capabilities of the gun and scope she was using. One question I have is about her initial statement when Mark let out a "god-awful scream" when he was hit. Is that truly logical, given the power and deadly accuracy with which he was shot? Perhaps it is a morbid question, but isn't it more likely that he gasped or yelped or was even largely silent when hit? Did she REALLY hear him SCREAM?? It seems fabricated to me...
I do feel bad for the brother that was there. He was shocked to lose a brother, yet sympathetic towards the upset wife- He seems to really care about people even though he has been given a bad rap. Yes, it seems "something happened" between them on the way back to PA, but I tend to think that for his part that he was sucked in by this woman, and unfortunately is now stuck there. At least he seems committed to taking care of the children, which leads me to my next question...
Where are the children? Are they still under the influence of this woman who so desperately needs professional help?
A very sad story all around. I hope the Harsbarger Family can all be reunited one day.
I feel that this woman in the show Til Death do us Part, is guilty of murdering her husband. This case may open the floodgates to anyone seeking to kill someone, knowing that in Canada you will be let off for murder. Our legal system needs some serious revamping, because mostof every single case I hear on TV, they are charged with second degree murder. And what happens, they may go to jail for what 10 years out in 7 years, but lets not forget that they get more time of for time served in remand centres.
I wonder do these judges ever really think about the victims.....they do not have the choice to come back in 7 years for time served.....they are lost forever to their loved ones.
Canada fix your lousy legal system before its to late.
Ms. Harshbarger stated she heard a terrible scream after she shot her husband. Experienced rifle users would dispute this claim. The victim would be totally unable to scream after being ripped open by such a powerful weapon. He would be dead before he hit the ground. Perhaps the terrifying scream was the one she rehearsed before going out that day.
the moral of this story in my opinion if he thought he would not have come home alive he should have used his 10000 dollars for lawyers fees for a divorce he would probabley be here today..
Could you please tell us what is the updates from after the trial the second time
I would like to just say that first of all this is just not right , as a hunter myself you dont take a shot unless your 100% sure of your target and if Marry Beth watched through her scop for the 2/3 minutes as she says she did then she would have known what she was going to kill, with Marry Beth gowing up in a family that hunts and hunted herself she would have known that without a question. Marry Beth stated that she thought it was a bear...a BEAR... time to get real about this she didnt she a bear she saw an a chance to kill Mark and get away with it . Marks family is right about this, dont stop digging into this as the truth will come out . This is the problem here is canada , if it was a Canadian it would not have been let go that soon and and the govenmentneed do start dont back ground checks on out of country hunters comming to Canada to hunt . As the Pickton Story she will get cought , as for Marks brother he will want to be very carefull as he could be the next.
Thank goodness for your program, if the R.C.M.P. were as thorough as you guys, justice might have prevailed. Just more proof as to the incompetance of the police in Canada, especially Newfoundland. I was born and raised in NL. and I can tell you that this is not the first, nor will it be the last time someone got away with murder up here. It is rediculous!!
The Harshbarger story created more questions than provided answers; the answer to one question that would put a whole new twist on the enquiry “Was there an affair between Mary Harshbarger and Barry prior to the hunting trip to Newfoundland”?
I live In Grand Falls, NL where the court case took place and i can see there to many facts pointing towards her , i think she is guilty in all directions... I hope the family takes advantage and goes back for an appeal. this case needs to be rEJUDGED Especially since the shady past she had was revealed...!
i am confident on a $50,000 life insurance. making it 250K, 500K would make me vulnerable to murder fraud. i dont like people to even think of killing me because of insurance.
Thank you God there is The fifth Estate. When you think about it, what does the justice system gains by encarcerating a person that does not seem a threat to society?
I beleive the police takes the easy way sometimes with a crime. It happend often in the past that police incriminated a person that could be the perpetrator knowingly this person was innocent just to get rid of the case. It is sick but this is the world we live in. The truth is not really important. On top of that putting a person in jail is expensive another reason for the justice system to close it's eyes. As long as the justice system will be driven by human beings it will be the same, the law of the lesser effort will prevail.
I watched the story and am appalled at the lack of police work "not done" ....why is there no looking into telephone calls between Mary Beth and the brother prior to the hunting trip...why didn't they do the test on the scope and the distance like your guys did? Something is wrong with the actual investigation in a big way...is it just shoddy police work?
What about the insurance change just before the hunting accident?
I think more could have been done in the initial investigation...plus I for sure "know she's guilty" and his brother is in on it...possibly from the start...because the nature of greed combined with guns is a predator's dream.
Your story was too "one-sided". Mary Beth is so competitive that she "wanted" to see a bear. I was so disappointed in your documentary.
I think this woman is very calculating, evil and guilty. She probably chose Newfoundland in case she didn't get away with it since Canada does not have capital punishment. She was in a marriage that was struggling both emotionally and financially. Her crocodile tears didn't convince me. I think she did it and hope his family pursues every avenue to find she did. Its cases like this that are an argument for capital punishment here and there should be a re-trial of some sort, appeal, whatever
Typically flawed Canadian justice system. Reminds me of another case in Newfoundland where they let a woman keep a child she kidnapped and then she drown her. How can a judge honestly believe an experienced hunter who:
1) was watching her target for a entire 3 minutes claiming the whole time it looked like a bear
2) shot a person right in the chest with such precision which is at a height much greater than a bear (bears walk on all fours and are much lower down that a human being walking in an upright position
3) claims to have known instantly that she shot her husband (although she thought it was a bear)because she heard him scream as the bullet hit him. Remember that she did even go up to the body to see who got shot because she claimed to have blisters on her foot (how lame is that!). How did she know right away, without going over to see the body, that it was her husband who got shot and not the guide, her brother-in-law, or someone else ? In my mind this last point proves she was lying.
This is so much a murder that I can not believe she was not found guilty. And the sad thing is that his own brother seems to be involved also and has broken the entire family.Brother, you had better run when you hear she has increased the life insurance !!
I am surprised that the crown attorney didn't pick-up on the fact that in Mary Beth's statement, she referred to the bear as "him" instead of "it".
I noticed that the father and brother were both wearing hunter orange. The father taught the son so why wasn't he wearing hunter orange in which case he would have been totally visible? If he had followed simply safety rules he wouldn't be dead today. As for this show, since when did we start convicting people without the benefit of a trial. All I have heard here is lots of innuendo but nothing concrete. This is simply wrong.
Why are hunters not required to wear bright orange? This could possibly have been avoided if he was wearing hunter's orange clothing. My father was an avid hunter and always wore orange, and that was over 60 years ago!
I only have one comment or question. When you take you hunting test, your told, and taught that before you shoot, know your target and beyond. She was or is suppose to be a marksman. I really don't think she knew, because if she did she would not have taken that shot.
.... I am so frustrated that I can't watch most of the fifth estates programs online because I don't live in Canada! Why can't we watch them online in the U.S.?
Hellooooooo ... please call Einstein over to figure this one ... give me a break Mr Judge lol easy way to get her out of here and send back home. I like to see what they do when she takes care the rest of his family.
Evil person. I feel sorry for his family who left behind to suffer.
as i was watching the show this evening i was bothered by the fact that marks hunting attire was not mentioned such as was he wearing orange hunting gear and if he wasnt why not? also why did they take 2 children hunting?
Two incriminating questiongs I've come across are 1) if she couldn't see well enough to know it wasn't a bear, how did she shoot him squarely in the chest? and 2) (on your program) how could she look at him for 2-3 minutes and not realize it was a man standing on two legs and not a bear on four? However, the niggling question for me is the scream she mentions in the police interview. Every time I hear her refer to the horrific scream after the shot, I feel there's something wrong with that. I'm no expert, but would a person shot in the chest and who died instantly have time or air to emit this blood-curdling scream? The RCMP always get their man, maybe, but their woman got away easily, it seems. How many more holes need to be in this swiss-cheese account before justice can see clearly?
After twenty years of running a black bear guide service it is totally impossible to mistake a black bear for a human even in poor lighting conditions with a high performance scope. Bears do not walk on two feet. Mary Beth got away with murder.
Looks like you dug deeper than the RCMP. They didn't do their job. She got away with murder and a half million bucks .The insult to his family is not charging her at least with negligence
Seems like the RCMP should be charged for bungling the investigation.
Disappointment in the Fifth Estate is what I feel.You used hearsay and innuendo from a grieving and vengeful family to sensationalize or "Americanize" your story. You used people unrelated to the events, the unrelated hunting guide is a good example(not the guide who was there and testified at the trial) You intentionally one sided the story and said integrity be damned. Shame on you.
I just watched "'til death do us part" and I can't understand why Mary Beth Harshbarger was acquitted. I don't understand why Mark would go on a hunting trip with her. Why wasn't he wearing a hunting vest? Why is his brother taking her side against his own family? This is a very bizarre story. There are a lot of unanswered questions and I hope you will do a followup on this.
From the moment I heard about this, I thought there was something that just didn't add up. How can an accomplished hunter like Mary Beth Harshbarger shoot her own husband and then claim she thought he was a bear. Give me a break,this evil woman shot her husband in cold selfish blood. Everything points to that and with the facts that Fifth Estate uncovered, it just further cements my belief this woman got away with murder. I think our justice system did his family a disservice and we should be embarrassed. It is disgusting to think she has walked away from this and left so much sorrow in her wake. I feel for Mark's family and for the two children who will grow up without their father.
Just finished watching....still can't believe she got away with it....and still no faith in our justice system. So unfortunate. My heart goes out to the Harshbarger family.
I am so sorry that the Canadian's left a murderer free to return to her home. She should not have been tried for negligence, but should have been tried for the horrible carefully planned and executed crime of cold blooded murder - the murder of my brother! The worst part is that she has blackmailed my other brother and is causing havoc with phone calls and threats. God help us all, and thank you again, Newfoundland.
Ironically, all outdoors people know that the only thing worse than meeting a Grizzly is finding Grizzly cubs.
She was a strong outdoors type, passionate for her children and probably for her husband for that matter. Jealous defence is not always evil and is natural in many mothers of all species.
If she were a State Trooper and anything moved in the woods (in twilight) within firing range she would be justified to not only draw the firearm but fire repeatedly. How much more a mother? She knew what a bear could do and what if the rifle jammed - could she hesitate?
As far as the 5th's apparent spin goes:
She had life insurance on his life - did he or anyone else have it on hers? Would she have known this? [The first thing any court should do in a Divorce proceeding is establish who is the beneficairy of whom? - should not wills and insurances be reconciled before trial.]
What did the guide suspect? Was the husband appearing to intend to play a prank and mimic a bear? How was he accustomed to carry his rifle at dusk - over his back with a strap or free with the safety off - the silouette of the rifle would distinquish this from an animal. Intuition is not admissable from a witness.
He tried to have her committed once? Did she fear him? If he really feared her why would he stumble around in the bush in the dark just for some expensive Moose? An apparent medical diagnosis is not sufficient for a conviction. There are still many jurisdictions where race, religion or class is almost sufficient.
Only she knows what she saw or what she thought she saw that evening, bear, man, husband. The question is was it reflex - trained or hasty - or an anticipated opportunity. Even if she had to testify would cross examination reveal it?
His parents lost a good son - can they afford to let this go? Armchair detectives are a dime a dozen, but what human being can dare to be an armchair judge?
Two years ago I read about this in an Outdoor Life/Hunting magazine, the story drew me in, it stuck in my mind and when I heard the news last week that Mary Beth Harshbarger had been acquitted I could not believe it! Mark's family and friends deserve more. Thank you Fifth Estate for revealing what kind of person this woman was.
Please please please never stop your quest to make people accountable and most times, after they think they've gotten away with 'it'. My faith is restored a little more each time I see someone choking on the words they can't get out when faced with indisputable facts Thank you... Regards Trudy L.