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in: British Columbia, 1995, Murder,
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Tanya Smith

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Tanya Smith Misty Cockerill

Real Names: Tanya Selina Smith and Misty Cockerill
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Abbotsford, British Columbia
Date: October 14, 1995

Case[]

Details: On October 13, 1995, sixteen-year-old Tanya Smith and her friend, fifteen-year-old Misty Cockerill, attended a party in Abbotsford, British Columbia. At around midnight, they began walking home when they were attacked by an unknown assailant. He beat them with a baseball bat, and then raped them. He then dumped Tanya's unconscious body into the Vedder River and drowned her. Misty escaped and went to the hospital to seek treatment for her injuries. She then told police what happened to her and Tanya, whose body was found later that day.
Following the murder, a man believed to be Tanya's killer taunted various residents of Abbotsford, bragging about the murder and claiming that he would kill again. He also desecrated Tanya's grave. He remains unidentified.

Tanya smith killer

Composite of the killer

Suspects: Tanya's killer is 6'0", has a slim build, and is probably in his mid-thirties. After the murder, an unknown man believed to be Tanya's killer began harassing several people throughout the town. He made several phone calls to 911 operators, claiming that he will kill again. He also reportedly desecrated Tanya's grave several times. On February 17, 1996, he called the only radio station in Abbotsford and told the producers to look outside. In the parking lot, Tanya's headstone was found lying on top of the station's news cruiser. Threats and profanities written in pen had been scrawled across a picture of Tanya which was engraved on it.
Two days later, a note taped around a wrench was thrown through the window of a family unconnected with this case. The note mentioned three other assaults for which Tanya's killer sought credit. A fingerprint was found on the duct tape that was used to tape the note to the wrench. However, no matches were found.
Along with a composite sketch (shown above), police have one other clue Tanya's killer's identity: his voice. It was recorded when he made phone calls to 911. In one of them, he stated: "Do you think that I would be stupid enough to leave fingerprints behind when I make a phone call? Are you having trouble finding the killer? I'm the one, giving you the chance to try and find me. I'll be cruising around, looking for someone else. Just to let you know who I am." Investigators hope that someone will recognize his voice.
Extra Notes:

  • This case first aired as a Special Bulletin on the April 12, 1996 episode.
  • It was documented on The New Detectives and Crime Stories after it was resolved. The victims' names were also changed on the former program.
Terry driver

Terry Driver

Results: Solved. In May 1996, thirty-one-year-old Terry Driver was arrested and charged with Tanya's rape and murder and the attempted murder of Misty. His mother and brother recognized his voice as the killer's and turned him into police. His fingerprint matched the one found on duct tape attached to a note from Tanya's killer. DNA evidence also linked him to her murder. Furthermore, in his phone calls, he repeatedly referred to a bite mark on her body and mentioned that she was wearing sandals that night; this information was never released to the public.
Misty testified against him at his trial. Driver claimed that he found her and Tanya after they were attacked. He further claimed that he raped Tanya, threw her body in the river, and then took Misty to the hospital. The judge didn't believe this; he was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted murder. The judge declared him a "dangerous offender" and gave him a mandatory life sentence.
Driver was later convicted of two other assaults that were mentioned in the note attached to the wrench. While in jail, he allegedly told a psychologist that he killed three other women. Investigators looked at him as a suspect in three other unsolved murders: prostitute Linda Tatrai; Colleen Shook, who was killed after exiting a bus; and Kim Stolberg, who was killed at her father's workplace. All three were stabbed to death in 1985. Attached to the wrench note were clippings from the Vancouver Sun about their murders. However, police stated that they later ruled him out as a suspect in Kim's murder; DNA found on her body did not match him.

Misty cockerill

Misty Cockerill in 2009

Driver passed away while still incarcerated at Mountain Institution on August 23, 2021. Misty is now an advocate of victim's rights and is devoted to helping others who were in similar situations as she was. She now has a daughter whom she named in memory of Tanya.
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