Wayne Roushorn
Nepean, ON / Jan. 11, 1977
Wayne Roushorn, 26, was killed in his cab shortly after 3 p.m. on January 11, 1977. He died of a stab wound to the heart but had slash marks on his hands and forearms, indicating that he had tried to ward off his attacker. A bloodstained 25 cm carving knife was found on the seat next to him, but it was never traced. Although Roushorn had $40 in his shirt pocket police did not rule out robbery as a motive.
Roushorn's cab was parked outside an apartment block. Residents of the block alerted police minutes after the attack occurred. His death became the fifth unsolved stabbing murder in the area within four months.
Witnesses at the Bayshore shopping centre were able to give police a description of a man seen entering Roushorn's cab 45 minutes before the murder. A composite drawing of the slim, 18- to 20-year-old male was published in the media. The suspect had collar-length brown hair and wore blue jeans and a blue ski jacket.
Police interviewed several suspects but were unable to connect anyone with the murder.
Roushorn had been driving for Nepean Taxi for three years. A hundred cabs joined his funeral procession. He was buried in Kingston.
Following his death there was some discussion of possible safety measures, but most owners and drivers interviewed by reporters discounted the need for shields.
In March, 1998, the Ottawa Citizen published an article on the case. This prompted Roushorn's parents and brother to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the killer's conviction.
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