The Murder of Nicholas Brophy
For this case, I watched an episode of Heartland Homicide. It’s season 1 episode 18, titled ‘Nicholas Brophy.’
An 18-year-old disappears while walking home from a friend’s house.
Background
Nicholas Brophy was born in Thompson, Manitoba on September 11, 1996.
His friend described him as a ball of energy and someone who was always smiling. He loved to be outside and do extreme sports like snowboarding, dirt biking, and skateboarding. At school, he ran track and played basketball and soccer.
Nicholas was also very close to his family. He was a good student and was very popular.
Nicholas Brophy
The Disappearance
September 8, 2015, was just days before Nicholas’ 19th birthday, and the start of his senior year of high school.
Nicholas had been texting with a friend, and the two decided to meet up around 10:30 p.m. Nicholas told his mom he wouldn’t be out long and walked out of his house for the last time.
Nicholas and his friend smoked some weed. Nicholas said he needed to go, and his friend said he’d walk halfway home with him. They parted ways around 10:50 p.m. Nicholas didn’t go straight home but walked around town for a bit. It was about 20 minutes which is known because he was texting his friends, and suddenly stopped responding around 11:10 p.m.
The next morning, September 9, Nicholas’ mom left him some lunch money for school. She found the money untouched when she came home on her lunch break.
At first, she wasn’t too worried because maybe he hadn’t seen the money. However, she didn’t see or hear from him later that night. Nicholas’ mom reached out to his friends asking if anyone had seen or heard from him. She learned that he had not been to school that day. Nicholas was reported missing by his family.
The Investigation
Several law enforcement agencies came together to search for Nicholas. The community came together and went out to look for him as well, but there was no sign of him.
In November 2015, Nicholas’ family put out a $20,000 reward. By early 2016, his family tried to raise money for an even larger reward, and by April 2016, it had increased to $50,000.
That same month, a tip about a suspect finally came to the police. A high school student named Justin Baker had been heard talking to people about Nicholas’ death.
During his interview, Justin spoke about a wooded area near a power line. He said Nicholas’ body could be found there.
On April 26, 2016, Nicholas’ skull was recovered. They used a forensic otologist and dental records to positively identify him.
Nicholas’ skull had 6 fractures and multiple blunt force injuries.
The Motive
Justin Baker told the police that he wasn’t alone that night. He identified 2 other individuals that were involved, Zach Linklater and Mark Thomas. That night, they went to Justin’s apartment, but Justin said he tried to tell them that he was too tired. He let them stay anyway, and they all drank heavily.
Justin said Mark had asked him “who he was down with,” which meant asking if he had any allegiances with any gangs. Justin said he thought that night was about a gang initiation.
Next, he said Mark had pulled out a knife from his cupboard and said they’d use it. Zach found a metal baton and they decided to use that instead. The baton was consistent with the injuries found on Nicholas’ skull.
Justin said he and Mark took 50 punches to their stomachs and really believed that this was a gang initiation.
They left the apartment and decided to walk around town. They spotted Nicholas walking alone. Justin said Zach picked Nicholas as their target. Justin knew Nicholas from school, basketball, and soccer. During his police interview, he mentioned how good of an athlete Nicholas was.
The Murder
According to Justin, Zach told Mark to attack Nicholas while Justin was on the lookout. They attacked Nicholas and stole his glasses, phone, and cash. They then decided to take Nicholas to a place that was more remote.
When they got to the wooded trail, Zach attempted to strangle Nicholas with a shoelace. When that didn’t work, they stomped Nicholas as he lay on the ground. Then they hit him with the metal baton. Justin said he only became involved after Zach threatened him. They covered Nicholas with branches. Justin was told to leave one of his socks near Nicholas’ body. The sock was a detail that the police never released to the public.
After Justin’s confession, an alert was put out to find Zach and Mark.
On April 13, 2016, Zach and Mark were arrested. Nicholas’ skull was found just a few weeks later. Justin’s confession and the sock being found seemed to match the evidence.
Justice for Nicholas
Mark was arrested in Brandon, and needed to be transported to Winnipeg. While being transported, there was another man in the van with him. Mark was heard bragging about the lack of evidence in his case. He also spoke to another inmate at the jail about the same thing.
Mark claimed that he had hidden the murder weapon and was sure the police wouldn’t find it. He said he had discarded it in water. These men were actually both undercover officers who had been planted in the truck and cell with Mark.
In November 2018, Mark and Zach went on trial. They both pled guilty to first-degree murder. Justin pled guilty to second-degree murder.
On November 19, 2018, all 3 were convicted of murder. Mark and Zach were sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 25 years. In 2020, they appealed and said that Mark’s confession to the undercover officers was a violation of his rights. The appeal was dismissed.
Justin was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after 10 years.
I couldn’t find any photos of the 3 awful people that took the life of Nicholas.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Nicholas was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time that night. If it hadn’t been Nicholas, it probably would have been someone else. It’s heartbreaking that Nicholas’ body was just out in the woods for several weeks. Nicholas’ family and friends must have been so worried about him. The police really did an amazing job in this case and luckily Justin and Mark talked their way into prison. They couldn’t stop talking and bragging about what they had done and really sealed their fate. It’s just a shame that all 3 won’t be in prison for almost the rest of their lives.
Sources
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/nicholas-brophy-murder-trial-justin-baker-1.4898304
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/nicholas-brophy-murder-trial-verdict-1.4911222
