Jesse Imeson, the man accused of killing a Windsor bartender, was apprehended by police on Jul 31 after a two-week Canada-wide manhunt.
Police say they concentrated their search around Renfrew, Ontario after they began to suspect Imeson may have been the culprit in a series of residential break-ins in the area.
A homeowner near Portage-Du-Fort, Quebec, a small community across the Ottawa River from Renfrew, called police after he spotted a stranger inside his neighbour’s house. Imeson, who was reportedly carrying a loaded firearm, was caught in a nearby wooded area soon after.
Imeson was wanted in connection with the strangulation death of Carlos Rivera, who worked at The Tap, a gay strip club in Windsor.
Eddie An, owner of The Tap, told Xtra that Imeson showed up at the bar for the first time on Jul 17 and spoke with Rivera about becoming a dancer. Imeson was reportedly told to return the following day with the proper identification. An said he was told later by patrons that Imeson invited Rivera to go with him to another bar or somewhere private.
“[Rivera] knew this business. Plus he was a sweet guy and a hard worker,” An told Xtra, noting that Rivera had a day job at the local mall and was an architectural student at St Clair College. “He treated customers really well and the other bartenders liked him.”
Rivera was reported missing on Jul 18. His body was discovered in Imeson’s Windsor apartment on Jul 19. Rivera’s car was found in Grand Bend on Jul 20. Bill Regier and his wife Helene Regier were found shot to death in their home near Grand Bend on Jul 23. The Regier’s pickup truck was found near Renfrew, not far from where Imeson was apprehended, on Jul 31.
Imeson faces three first-degree murder charges and as many as 10 break-and-enter charges.
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