TORONTO (Sun Media) - An obituary for Julie Crocker published yesterday describes her as the "beloved wife of Christopher Little," the man accused of slashing her throat and hanging physiotherapist Paula Menendez from Crocker's garage rafters.
It underlines what York police have been saying repeatedly about the baffling and brutal double-murder -- it's a case that involves a lot of very complicated relationships.
Crocker, 33, was found dead in the bedroom of her Larkin Blvd. home in Markham Monday morning. Menendez, 34 -- whose only obvious connection to Crocker was that Crocker was dating Menendez's estranged husband -- was found in Crocker's garage with her hands and feet bound, hanging from the rafters.
Crocker's husband Chris Little called police to the home and was there when police arrived. Their two young daughters were still asleep in their beds.
"I can say that Mr. Little did not confess to anything," York police homicide Insp. Bill Faulkner said. "Obviously we spoke to him after this but I can't comment on anything he said."
He declined to comment on how well Crocker and Little, high school sweethearts who'd been married 10 years, knew Menendez and her estranged husband -- FAN 590 sportscaster Rick Ralph, who recently began dating Crocker, a CHFI radio ad sales rep.
"There are four people that are obviously aware of each other and that's as far as I can go right now," Faulkner said.
Investigators are still trying to pin down the timing of the tragedy and how Menendez, who was last seen around 8 p.m. at her Etobicoke home, got to Markham.
APPEAL FOR WITNESSES
"Everybody is concerned that the worst happened and she was dragged out of her home," Faulkner said. "That's one of the answers that we would like to clarify, or try to clarify."
Police have made an appeal for witnesses who may have seen anything near the Markham home on Larkin Blvd., Menendez's Etobicoke house on Haliburton Ave., Little's Toronto apartment at 100 Graydon Hall Dr. or Little's 2003 dark grey GMC Envoy.
"Obviously that's a real key for us to fill in that timeline between 8 p.m. Sunday and 3:30 in the morning," Faulkner said. "It's helped us in stimulating calls to come in. We have had a lot of calls come in."
Forensics officers are looking "in fine detail" at all three locations and will be for the rest of the week -- quite possibly longer in the case of Larkin Blvd., because of the complexity of that scene, he said.
Once those scenes have been thoroughly searched and processed, Faulkner said he hopes to be able to give the public a clearer explanation of what police believe happened that terrible day.
"Maybe then we can draft something that says here's what happened and maybe that puts the public's mind to rest, and gives the public a little more understanding of what went on here," he said. "There's people that deserve a little bit of an explanation."
A visitation for Crocker will be held at the Dixon Garland Funeral Home on Main St. in Markham from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The funeral will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at Central United Church on Main St. in Markham.
"Julie was a special person with an enthusiastic and ebullient spirit," her obituary reads. "She was a kind and thoughtful individual who loved life and lived it to its fullest. She will be sadly missed by many."
COLLEAGUES DISTRAUGHT
Her colleagues at radio station CHFI are struggling to deal with the sudden loss of a valued friend, her boss Victor Dann said.
"We're all quite distraught," Dann said yesterday. "We're a very small family here and we all get along really well. We miss her desperately. Everyone's having a very difficult time."
It's been a difficult couple of days at Pivot Physiotherapy in Toronto as well, where Menendez worked.
Her co-workers there have described her as a dedicated professional who loved her family dearly.
A growing pile of flowers lay in the snow yesterday outside her house, a York police car idling in front.
Little is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is to appear in court on March 9.
