CRIME REPORTER PETER EDWARDS DISCUSSES THE BANDIDO MASSACRE
by Gavin Hughes
In 2006, two hours drive west of Toronto, residents were shocked to hear of the worst biker massacre in the world. Eight men of the Bandidos biker gang had lost their lives on the farm of Wayne Kellestine, a long time bike gang member and Nazi loving sociopath.
Reporting for the Toronto Star, highly praised author Peter Edwards (One Dead Indian: The Premier, the Police and the Ipperwash Crisis) eventually put together three years of research, interviews and his own journalistic work to pen his tenth book The Bandido Massacre. Our man Gavin was lucky enough to speak with Mr. Edwards and get the inside scoop on reporting crime, the true story of biker gangs and how The Bandido Massacre is more than just a story about biker organizations; it is an emotional journey about the men who lost their lives that fateful night.
How did you find yourself reporting about crime?
There was a long time I thought I was going to end up in the sports department and there was a time when I was an entertainment editor. What I like about reporting on crime is that I largely get left alone by editors. I’ve done a lot on bikers and organized crime so they trust me to work on my own. I took history in university and it may sound bizarre, but I really like looking at the development of crime in a historical context.
How do you decide on what certain stories should become a book?
If you’re thinking about them at two in the morning, then it’s worth writing a book about them. It’s the two in the morning test. With these bikers what I found myself wondering at two in the morning was: how did people from good homes end up in such a mess? That was the part that haunted me about this whole story.
So what were these men from very good families doing in biker gangs and steeped in criminal activity?
I think we all do stupid things. If our lives are halted at one instant and we’re judged on that instant, it can look pretty harsh. When I look at (George) Kriarakis, he didn’t want to be in that club, but he just couldn’t figure a way out and he naively thought he could clean them up from the inside.
So you end up in a brotherhood with no way out?
You can’t choose your brothers and, if you’re in a club like the Bandidos, you end up with a guy like Wayne Kellestine calling himself your brother. The irony is you get close to people because you think you’ll be protected but the people you’re closest to are the ones that you should be the most worried about.
You describe Wayne Kellestine as a sociopath. Is he not the kind of person who would have killed regardless if he wore a biker gang patch?
He’d have to draw people to him. All the other killers and victims came to him. Normally we think of criminals roaming around out there, but this guy just stayed on his farm and they came to him. And he aligned himself with a bunch of symbols people thought were powerful. The British flag, the Confederate flag, the Nazi flag and the Bandido patch.
It seems strange to have a British flag pinned up right next to his Nazi flag?
He had a pretty rich fantasy life. At one point he got two wars mixed up. He was off by a century and he put two sides together that never fought together. But in his own little world it all made sense.
This book could very easily have become a history book about biker gangs. How did you keep it so easy to follow and read like a fiction novel?
For everybody who does what I do, our touchstone is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It showed that non-fiction could read like fiction. Real life is fascinating and it doesn’t have to be boring when it’s documented in a book.
What are your thoughts on TV’s representation of crime and biker gangs?
I think a lot of times they do a good job. It can be tough for them, because when people from the inside talk, they are taking a risk of being kicked out of the club or worse. As someone who works in print, I can discreetly talk to people at a coffee shop and get information from them and they aren’t really sticking their necks out that much.
Since this story does discuss the veiled world of biker gangs, has there been any positive or negative feedback?
At the book launch some of the families of the victims showed up and were really positive. And I don’t know if I’ve sold more to police officers or bikers. But it seems to be doing fairly well in both camps. And of course some people have been very unhappy with the way they have looked in the book, but that’s life.
You say some people are unhappy, doesn’t that make you a tad nervous?
I’ve always been pretty careful. There was a change in legislation when Michel Auger was shot in Quebec and I think that made reporters a lot safer, but if there was a prison break at Millhaven I would be on the first flight to the Caribbean. At the book launch, the first group I thanked was the prison guards at Millhaven.
We here at Tuesday Guide want everyone to pick up The Bandido Massacre. What do you hope they take away from this story?
I’d like people to appreciate what they have right in front of them. If most of these people had appreciated their families and real lives, they wouldn’t have had to reach out to this false brotherhood.
Peter Edwards tells us what he favored most in 2009!
Favourite book?
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is one I re-read while doing this book.
Favourite album?
Blonde on Blonde by Bob Dylan. There’s just no question. If there was only one record allowed to survive in the world that should be it!
Favourite movie?
This is a little before ’09, but I thought Gangs of New York was really good.
Whether it’s on a novel, short stories or a screenplay, Gavin can be found constantly writing. However being a generous man, he gives up some of his limited spare time doing interviews for The Tuesday Guide. Otherwise he’s checking out new flicks, new music or putting his stinky feet up with a new book. Gavin Hughes lives with his wife in Liverpool, Nova Scotia.
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Great to see a site which posts about crime stories! Keep up the great work!