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William James Kapach, 65, was beaten on November 17th, 2007. He died five days later after he was taken off life support.

Kapach was Edmonton's 28th homicide victim of the year.

Case status is open and active.

he sort of kept on his own | detective sues lawyer

At about 5:15 a.m. November 17th, 2007 paramedics received a report of an injured man lying near 96th Street and 102A Avenue.

A passing motorist had noticed the man lying on a sidewalk. Emergency medical staff called in police because the victim's injuries were consistent with that of a beating.

“His face was pooled in blood,” said Staff Sgt. Gail Dennis at the scene. The officer characterised the incident as a serious aggravated assault.

The man remained in hospital in a coma with serious head injuries until November 21st when life support systems were withdrawn. He died the next morning.

Police identified the man as 65-year-old William James Kapach. His friends called him Billy.

Homicide detectives treated the case as a suspicious death until an official cause was determined by the medical examiner.

On November 23rd it was revealed that Kapach died of blunt cranial trauma.

CTV Edmonton spoke to a woman who knew Kapach and lived in the area where he was found. She said two people attacked the senior.

"They took a sledgehammer and knocked him out in the face," said Carmen Schwartz.

At a media availability held later on November 23rd at the scene of Kapach's murder, homicide Det. Bill Clark re-capped the case.

"We originally got the call at 5:16 in the morning. An off-duty police member was actually going home and noticed Mr. Kapach lying on the sidewalk and attended to him and called fire and ambulance who responded within minutes.

"You have an elderly gentleman just out for his morning walk to get a coffee and paper and someone attacks him. That's cowardice ... it's despicable," Clark said.

"It's a despicable and cowardly act because you have people here for who knows what reason ... I classify them as The Bullies, you know, walking along and for some reason targeting an elderly gentleman, probably thinking that he's easy pickings ... at that time in the morning and no one else is around.

"At this time we do not know if there was a weapon involved or if the trauma was simply caused by fists or feet."

Clark revealed additional details of the case.

Kapach was found on a sidewalk a block and a half south of the People In Need Society Shelter where he had lived for most of 2007.

Clark believed Kapach "was attacked by one person or more in what was likely a mugging.

"It is not like he would have had a lot of cash on him. He likely only had a few coins on his person," Clark said. “We think he was just about home when he was mugged. This was his neighbourhood. This should never have happened.”

Police were not able to confirm street rumours that up to three men had attacked Kapach.

“These people normally don't act alone. They're tough in a group and that's why they attack that way,” Clark said.

Kapach, described as tall and frail, had a regular morning routine of leaving his apartment at 4:30 a.m. to pick up two newspapers and then go for coffee at a downtown Tim Horton's restaurant. The newspapers were found alongside Kapach's body.

On Fridays he attended breakfast and a church service at the Salvation Army. It was there that someone dropped off Kapach's identification on the same day his body was found. Investigators said they hoped that person would come forward. Police didn't consider the person a suspect but would like to know where the identification was found.

Clark noted the attack took place in a busy area of the inner city, across from the Mount Royal Hotel where a dozen windows overlooked the crime scene.

“Yet we don't have a single witness report,” the detective said. “We need help.”

Those who may have been in the area of 96th Street and 102A Avenue between midnight and 6:00 a.m. November 17th and saw anything suspicious were asked to contact Edmonton police at 423-4567, Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.tipsubmit.com - a secure tip submission web site.

At a December 3rd, 2007 press conference dealing with the murder two days earlier of Wesal Arabi, Det. Bill Clark offered the latest details in the Kapach investigation.

Since police released information about the beating death of Bill Kapach, a few leads had emerged. However the detective said they had yet to name a suspect.

"We definitely have got some witnesses come forward who saw Mr. Kapach that morning, saw him walking in the area and saw other individuals around.

"We're following up on it but there's nothing definite right now."

Clark said they were seeking one person in particular, but a name wasn't offered to media.

The officer admitted police didn't know whether that person was a suspect or just a witness to the beating.

He sort of kept on his own

"I just can't believe anyone would do this to him," Kapach's cousin told the Edmonton Journal. "He wasn't a normal 65-year-old. He sort of kept on his own."

Kapach suffered from schizophrenia and was living on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) payments in the downtown area at the People In Need Society Shelter. He had grown up in Redwater and had earlier lost both of his parents and his brother. He had been living in Edmonton since he was 16 – read more »

Kapach's family released a statement to media.

"He did not deserve to have his life ended in such a brutal fashion.

"When a 65-year-old man with a disability is brutally beaten to death it signifies a deep underlying problem with society today.

"The family would appreciate it if any one having information about this crime, do the right thing and contact the police.

"The individual(s) who committed this crime must be caught."

Media spoke to Ron Allen, executive director of the Edmonton People In Need Shelter Society, where Kapach had lived for the last nine months of his life. Allen described the man and spoke of how the loss affected those in the loosely-knit downtown community – read more »

Staff from the People In Need society erected a memorial near where Kapach was found and within sight of Edmonton Police Service headquarters – read more »

Detective sues lawyer

Statements made to media by veteran homicide detective Bill Clark at the scene of William James Kapach's death prompted lawyer Tom Engel to write a letter to the Edmonton Journal. Two years later, Clark sued Engel for defamation – read more »

On November 27th, 2007 The Journal published a letter under the headline "Closed Mind?" The letter was in response to a story the newspaper had earlier published quoting Clark.

Re: " 'Despicable, cowardly' beating led to man's death: William Kapach likely killed for coins," The Journal, Nov. 24.

To be sure, the death of William Kapach is tragic, but how does Edmonton Police Service homicide Det. Bill Clark know that this was a "despicable, cowardly act by one or more bullies in what was likely a mugging, where they targeted an elderly man who they thought was easy pickings and likely only got a few coins?"

Unless Clark witnessed the event, this is an example of the tunnel vision by a police investigator that has been condemned by numerous inquiries into wrongful convictions.

It is irresponsible to make such statements to the media.

Tom Engel, Edmonton

Tom Engel is best known for numerous lawsuits his firm has brought against the Edmonton Police Service.

News of Clark's $100,000 lawsuit against Engel was brought to light by the Edmonton Sun on December 4th, 2009. The statement of claim had been filed the previous week.

Clark, a 30-year Edmonton police veteran, claimed that as a result of the published letter Engel allegedly wrote he had suffered and continued to suffer "significant damage to his personal and professional reputation."

Clark claimed the letter was defamatory of him and would "tend to lower him in the estimation of right-thinking members of society generally."

The detective also took issue with the implication that in the past he had been condemned by numerous inquiries into wrongful convictions, which he said further implied he had been instrumental in securing wrongful convictions on numerous occasions.

"And as such they imply repeated and continuing professional incompetence, poor judgment and unethical behaviour on the part of the plaintiff in the discharge of his duties as a police officer," the claim reads.

Clark further claimed the letter suggested that he lacked objectivity, was completing the police investigation in an improper and irresponsible manner and with a closed mind.

It should be noted that statements of claim contain allegations not yet proven in court.

The Edmonton & Northern Alberta Crime Stoppers web site entry for William James Kapach can be seen here.

All the information presented on this page has been compiled primarily from published media reports and should not be interpreted as having legal bearing or other prejudice against individuals named on this web site.
The Last Link on the Left practices fair presentation and the disclosure of relevant interests.
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deadmonton 2007 - william james kapach