WINNIPEG — One of Manitoba’s most notorious criminal cases has finally landed in court.
Former provincial government executive Mark Stobbe began a three-week preliminary hearing Monday in connection with the 10-year-old death of his wife, Beverly Rowbotham, at their home just north of Winnipeg.
Stobbe has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He was arrested in 2008 following an extensive RCMP investigation. Stobbe had moved to Saskatoon, where he was serving as executive director of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. He has been free on bail since shortly after his arrest.
A court-ordered ban prevents specific evidence of the preliminary hearing from being published. Provincial court Judge John Guy must decide if there is sufficient evidence to order Stobbe to stand trial.
Rowbotham, 42, was found dead inside her tan Ford Crown Victoria in a gas station parking lot in Selkirk in the early morning of Oct. 25, 2000. Immediately after her killing, the RCMP assured the public there was no reason to fear a random killer was on the loose, but never said why.
Rowbotham, Stobbe and their children had moved from Regina about five months before the slaying when Stobbe accepted a senior position on the provincial cabinet's community and economic development committee. It co-ordinates major projects in Manitoba that require interdepartmental collaboration.
Stobbe had been a high-ranking adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow before coming to Manitoba. In the late 1980s he had also served as an assistant in the Saskatchewan constituency office of then-NDP MLA Pat Atkinson. Now NDP deputy leader, Atkinson refused comment Tuesday on Stobbe's arrest.
Rowbotham grew up in Regina and graduated with a BA from the University of Saskatchewan in 1978. She and Stobbe married in 1993 and lived in Regina, where she worked for several years in the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission until moving to Manitoba.
IT has been nearly 10 years since Beverly Rowbotham was found dead in Selkirk, triggering an extensive police investigation that many feared would never lead to an arrest.
Now the man accused of the high-profile homicide has finally landed in court. Former provincial government executive Mark Stobbe began a three-week preliminary hearing Monday in connection with the 2000 slaying of his wife, Beverly Rowbotham, at their home just north of Winnipeg.
Stobbe has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder. He was arrested in 2008 following an extensive RCMP investigation. Stobbe has been free on bail and living in Saskatoon, where he was serving as executive director of the Saskatchewan Craft Council. He has been free on bail since shortly after his arrest.
A court-ordered ban prevents specific evidence of the preliminary hearing from being published. Provincial court Judge John Guy must decide if there is sufficient evidence to order Stobbe to stand trial.
Rowbotham, 42, was found dead inside her tan Ford Crown Victoria in a gas station parking lot in Selkirk in the early morning of Oct. 25, 2000. Immediately after her killing, the RCMP assured the public there was no reason to fear a random killer was on the loose, but never said why.
Rowbotham, Stobbe and their children had moved from Regina about five months before the killing when Stobbe accepted a senior position on the provincial cabinet's community and economic development committee. It co-ordinates major projects in Manitoba that require interdepartmental collaboration.
Stobbe had been a high-ranking adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow before coming to Manitoba. In the late 1980s he had also served as an assistant in the Saskatchewan constituency office of then-NDP MLA Pat Atkinson.
Rowbotham grew up in Regina and graduated with a BA from the University of Saskatchewan in 1978. She and Stobbe married in 1993 and lived in Regina, where she worked for several years in the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission.
Stobbe filed a lawsuit against two insurance companies in 2003 for failing to pay him more than $215,000 following Rowbotham's death. The issue was later settled out of court when the companies agreed to pay. The Mounties called in an Alberta prosecutor to review the case in February 2001, but no charges were authorized. The RCMP said they opted for the out-of-province prosecutor because Stobbe held a high-ranking provincial government position at the time.
Stobbe has always maintained his innocence and the case appeared to be growing colder despite extensive interviews, forensic analysis and public pleas for information. The investigation suffered a significant blow in October 2001 when one of the lead investigators committed suicide. The RCMP cold-case unit took over the investigation in 2005 and police remained tight-lipped about the case.
Stobbe has spoken publicly only through his lawyer, Tim Killeen, who said in 2006 his client is focused on raising his two children "and hopes police ultimately come to a resolution of their investigation."
A former top Saskatchewan government adviser accused of killing his wife was in a Winnipeg courtroom on Monday for the start of a preliminary inquiry to test the evidence the Crown has against him.
Mark Stobbe, 52, is charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife, Beverley Rowbotham. He has always maintained his innocence.
A publication ban prevents the reporting of any evidence heard during the preliminary hearings, which are expected to last three weeks. If the presiding judge decides there's enough evidence for Stobbe to stand trial, proceedings could begin as early as June or July.
Stobbe was arrested in May 2008, nearly eight years after Rowbotham was found dead in her car at a gas station near Selkirk, Man. in October 2000. Investigators said they believed she had been beaten to death in the backyard of her home in nearby St. Andrews, then moved to Selkirk.
Stobbe, a one time top adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, has been out on bail and living in Saskatoon since June 24, 2008.
Stobbe, Rowbotham and their sons moved to Manitoba from Regina about five months before Rowbotham's death, when Stobbe accepted a senior job on the Manitoba cabinet's community and economic development committee.
After his wife's death, Stobbe and his sons moved back to Saskatoon, where he's lived ever since.
Manitoba Justice has hired independent Crown counsel from B.C. to prosecute Stobbe because of his past government positions.
At the time Rowbotham died,
Stobbe told investigators he had left the family home to go grocery shopping about 8:30 p.m. the day before her body was found. He had fallen asleep with their two sons, then five and three years old, he said, and
called police at 1:30 a.m., when she hadn't returned home.
Hearing in Rowbotham murder underway
A preliminary hearing has begun for a former Manitoba government official
accused of killing his wife nearly 10 years ago.
Mark Stobbe, 52, is charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 42-year-old Beverley Rowbotham.
Stobbe, who
once served as a senior advisor to Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, has been
free on bail since the spring of 2008, a short time after his arrest.
The hearing before provincial court Judge John Guy is scheduled for three weeks. Details of the hearing cannot be printed due to a publication ban.
Because of Stobbe’s former connection to the provincial government, the case has been assigned to a prosecutor from B.C.
Rowbotham, a mother of two boys, was found dead in her car in a parking lot near Selkirk in October 2000.
She had been bludgeoned to death.
Rowbotham and her family had moved to the province five months earlier after Stobbe
accepted a job with a provincial economic development committee.
Stobbe moved to Saskatchewan following his wife’s death. At the time of his arrest he was executive director of the Saskatchewan Craft Council’s office in Saskatoon.
RCMP cold case investigators dealt with prosecutors in B.C. to charge Stobbe. Mounties were unable to deal directly with the Manitoba Crown Attorney’s office because of a potential conflict of interest.
The file was given to B.C.’s prosecutions branch in November 2007 for an opinion on whether there was enough evidence to charge a suspect, a Manitoba Justice official said at the time of Stobbe’s arrest.
Mark Stobbe, charged last month in the death of his wife Beverley Rowbotham eight years ago, will be released on $50,000 bail following a court hearing Tuesday in Winnipeg.
Stobbe, a one-time top adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, was arrested May 27 in Saskatoon and charged with second-degree murder in connection with his wife's death in in October 2000.
Stobbe has always maintained he didn't kill his wife.
He will have to meet strict bail conditions, including:
- Reporting to RCMP weekly in Saskatoon.
- Not changing his address in Saskatoon.
- Staying in Saskatchewan except for required court appearances in Winnipeg or to meet with his lawyer.
He will also be allowed to attend baseball games in which his sons are participating.
B.C. Crown attorney Garth Loeppky, who was brought as a prosecutor, declined to comment on the case against Stobbe, who has yet to enter a plea.
Stobbe's next court date is scheduled for Sept. 11.
Maintains innocence
The body of Rowbotham, 42, was found in her car at a gas station near Selkirk in October 2000. Investigators said they believed she had been beaten to death in the backyard of her home in nearby St. Andrews, then moved to Selkirk.
At the time, Stobbe told investigators Rowbotham had left the family home around 8:30 p.m. the day before her body was found to go grocery shopping. He had fallen asleep with their two sons, then five and three years old, he said, and called police at 1:30 a.m., when she hadn't returned home.
Rowbotham, Stobbe and their sons moved to Manitoba from Regina about five months before Rowbotham's death, after Stobbe accepted a senior job on the Manitoba cabinet's community and economic development committee.
Rowbotham worked for several years with the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission before moving to Manitoba.
After Rowbotham's death, Stobbe moved back to Saskatchewan. He was living in Saskatoon with the couple's sons, now 11 and 13, at the time of his arrest.
Mark Jacob Stobbe, a one-time top adviser to former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow, has been charged in connection with the slaying of Stobbe's wife in Manitoba almost eight years ago.
Stobbe, 50, was arrested Tuesday in Saskatoon and charged with second-degree murder following the death of Bev Rowbotham in October 2000, RCMP Sgt. Line Karpish said.
The body of Rowbotham, a 42-year-old mother of two, was found in her car at a gas station near Selkirk. Investigators said they believed she had been beaten to death in the backyard of her home in nearby St. Andrews, then moved to Selkirk.
Stobbe told investigators Rowbotham had left the family home around 8:30 the previous evening to go grocery shopping, He had fallen asleep with their two sons, then five and three years old, he said, and called police at 1:30 a.m., when she hadn't returned home.
In the years since Rowbotham's death, the RCMP have remained tight-lipped about the progress of the investigation and — until Tuesday — had not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests. They had said they did not believe the killing was random.
Stobbe has always maintained that he didn't kill his wife.
Police would not reveal what had changed in the case that allowed them to make the arrest.
"This is going to be for the courts to hear," Karpish said. "There's no doubt about it, it's been a long haul. It's been a long time, but we're very pleased with it.
"Whether it be a month, six months, three years, 10 or 30 years — to us, it's a success."
Rowbotham's sister, Barb Kilpatrick, said she was too emotional Tuesday evening to discuss the arrest, but offered this message from her Alberta home: "It's been a long time coming."
Rowbotham, Stobbe and their sons moved to Manitoba from Regina about five months before Rowbotham's death, after Stobbe accepted a senior job on the Manitoba cabinet's community and economic development committee.
During the investigation, the RCMP got legal advice from outside Manitoba because of Stobbe's connections to the two provincial governments.
Rowbotham worked for several years with the Saskatchewan Public Service Commission before moving to Manitoba.
After his wife's death, Stobbe moved back to Saskatchewan. He was living in Saskatoon with the couple's sons, now 11 and 13, at the time of his arrest.
Stobbe will be held in custody and returned to Manitoba later this week for a court appearance, Karpish said.
