What makes Greg Hampikian suspicious is that the teens confessions dont match the forensics evidence. And they didnt ask for key information that only the real murderers could have known, like how they got Rafays mother to lie in a prone position with a scarf over her head. It wasnt pretty. Atif Rafay grew up in an accomplished family. SEBASTIAN BURNS: Biography Glen Sebastian Burns was born in 1975 in Vancouver. And intrenched in the gangsta prosono. Was it even submitted to the court? Videos Contribute to this page When you say its imagination, theyre not making it up. By Lydia Burns For Daily Mail . David D. Burns (born September 19, 1942) is an American psychiatrist and adjunct professor emeritus in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine and the author of bestselling books such as Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, The Feeling Good Handbook and Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety. Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay Teen Killers. Asked what exactly he did in the field of commercial real estate, he replies: Nothing Id rather go into. Carole Burns, in contrast, is open and forthcoming, and has no problem talking about her career in finance. From that same letter: I am generally accused of a certain cheerfulness, to which I think I am temperamentally inclined. The jury at the mens six-month trial was told Rafay was motivated by money and planned the killings while Burns carried them out. Asked if he did, indeed, feel threatened, Rafay said, Yeah actually, extremely so. Another defense consultant barred from testifying at the trial was a former Drug Enforcement Administration undercover cop named Michael Levine. Really, it was all a dream world created out of movies. I believe theyre innocent because this was a false confession and theres no forensic evidence pointing to the fact that they did it, not to mention they had an alibi and there were so many reasons why theyre innocent.. I am 32 years old now. Its 2:01 a.m., July 13, 1994, and he had just called 911 to report the death of his friend Atif Rafays parents Tariq and Sultana, and his sister, Basma, at their new home. (The Canadian Press) Two B.C. The first two episodes of the seven-part Netflix series focus on the convictions of two friends, Sebastian Burns and Atif. He claims they never intended to do anything violent for the crime boss, but they were willing to say whatever was necessary to get his help. I mean wtf! The idea, he says, is to put people at ease so theyre as comfortable as you can get them to discuss their previous crime. And he adds that flashing money around is a crucial part of the game. I can't believe that this is in any way admissable in the first place. The two talked philosophy and life goals. On the night of the murders, the two young men claim they ate dinner at The Keg before watching the Lion King at the old Factoria Cinemas. Should have been a cut a dry, done and dusted case. Atif's parents had been found murdered. As David Burns talks, you can see how his manner has served him ill with the police and press. He goes on, in that same letter, to discuss the works of Dostoevsky, Primo Levi, and Louis Begley, who wrote a book about a Jewish boy in Poland during World War II. Klonsky and Carter, who together have visited Rafay at the Monroe Correctional Complex, where he is being held, both say he has a constant smile on his face despite his circumstances. Then, minutes later, his troubled voice. At first he said he did it naked and then later on they described how they got rid of their clothes after the murder, so which is it? Loudenberg said she didnt know True East would go on to lead her series, but she ended up spending so much time researching, traveling and submitting Freedom of Information Act requests, that it ended up being one of her biggest cases. Its only when he felt that his life was in jeopardy that he gave them what amounts to a confession, he says. Doesn't that have the potential to wreak havok in that community? It isn't 100% effective but it has solved murders, or rather helped convict murderers. But I am not a lawyer. So, I googled their names with "reddit" at the end, because topic discussions on reddit are always great reads. This is the most quoted piece of evidence. The man with the ponytail replied that, as it happened, he knew of someone who might like to invest in such a project. He calls himself Father Theodore. But the King County Prosecutors Office feels otherwise. According to court documents Atif Rafay and Sebastian Burns has been friends for years before the murders occurred. Loudenberg began researching cases for The Confession Tapes a year before she brought it to Netflix, but she didnt find this case until the end of that year. In May of 2004, Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay were convicted of the July 1994 murder of Rafay's parents, Tariq and Sultana, and his sister, Basma. Fox and Olson were working hard to defend Sebastian . They pulled the same thing on another North Van kid that i knew well. The defenses legal papers also say that the boys feared that Bellevue police were so intent on nailing them that they had fabricated evidence. In this weeksfifth estateepisode, Cops, Criminals and Confessions, Rafay says he was angry when he learned Burns had got him involved with the supposed crime gang that was to somehow influence their case. Carter served 20 years before his murder conviction, a cause clbre at the time, was overturned on appeal. Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay | screenshot from YouTube. It was the summer of their freshman year of college when. Its been more well-documented in the age of DNA, he says. I dont put any weight at all in what Miyoshi said, Loudenberg said. They have turned in legal briefs; prosecutors are scheduled to do so by months end. The murder of Marie Dupe at Big Ben's in Cape Breton for instance. Atif & Seb Bios. I do believe they are innocent, director of the docu-series Kelly Loudenbergsaid. Ominis twists to face you fully, and grabs the hand lingering between you two for a tender kiss on your knuckles. I live in Vancouver and a lot of us followed this case closely at the time. Lawyer caught in sex scandal. They capped their night with a meal at a diner in Seattle after going out to a Seattle club, they said. And although they would later volunteer a supposed confessionin a Canadian hotel, which led to their conviction and prison sentencing after a six-month trial in 2004, the makers of The Confession Tapes arent convinced. Burns confided that he and his high-school pal, Atif Rafay, had an idea for making a movie about two teenage boys falsely accused of murder. My gut feeling: No way. In addition, Atif Rafay and Burns friend Jimmy Miyoshi, who testified at their trial against them, admitted that he knew of their plans to commit the murders and that the motive was financial. In the living room, after a lunch that Carole prepared, Tiffany suggests that she, her father, and her brother all share a personality trait that made Sebastian unlikable to the jury. Miyoshi was put between a rock and a hard place and ultimately ended up testifying against his friends and lying on the stand.. Yet, Hampikian notes, Rafay had told Mr. Big that he wasnt present during the murder of his father, which would leave only Burns in the room. Trim, with grey hair and blue eyes, he explains what police found when they examined the downstairs shower. Al Haslett was one of the originators of the technique in the early 1990s. Sebastian Burns's hair was found in the shower, mixed with the Rafay's blood. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Rafay and Burns also loved Nietzsche. Your skin burns under the force of his milky gaze and the secret, orb-shaped power cocooned within your blood and bones. Included in their scheme was a fake memo from Bellevue police claiming they had forensic evidence that implicated the suspects. Reverently, lovingly. Watching the first episode again was equally as sad as the first. On July 12th, 1994, Rafay's father, mother, and 21-year-old autistic sister had been bludgeoned to death by baseball bats in their Bellevue home. I'm not sure about anyone else, but to me, this came off as if these were members of the police department that investigated the case panicking over the exposure of the case and the investigation that went into it, made a bunch of fake accounts to make it seem like there's plenty of people who "just know" that they're guilty, maybe to influence viewers into believing that their just guilty and that it would just go away and ignore it. But now Sebastians sister, Tiffany Burns, is trying to change hearts and mindsand is having some success. Peter Marsh, director of special operations for the RCMP in British Columbia, says he is reluctant to discuss Mr. Big techniques for fear of giving away too much to potential targets. Well it's not exactly that I believe that is most definitely the case, obviously that's a bit of a conspiracy theory there, but the department handling the case were very shady from the start and their general attitude towards the whole case comes off as very defensive to me, as if they don't like it being brought up. I was imagining how that belief may have effected the religion, given that it appears to be extremely important for them to be facing the correct way in prayer. there was also the FBI tip about radical islamic groups that did reveal holdback info (ie the murder weapon being a baseball bat) and the blood from an unidentified male found in the basement shower. Of Burns, Haslett says, I would never have said Im ever going to do him any physical harm. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The documentary-style, multi-episode, true crime series begins with two episodes titled True East, and are dedicated to the Rafay murders. Search for jobs related to Sebastian burns wife or hire on the world's largest freelancing marketplace with 20m+ jobs. Contributed mug shots Some may remember the triple homicide that shook Bellevue's Somerset Hill in 1994. Ned Booth. But, whether Bellevue residents believe in alternative theories or if Atif Rafay or Burns gave false confessions, Loudenberg thinks people should look into the case for themselves. But the King County Prosecutors Office feels otherwise. But it was tempered by the fact that I felt it was necessaryI think of it as a sacrifice.. and . Found guilty of bludgeoning Rafay's mother, father and autistic sister to death, Guilty of three counts of aggravated first degree murder, each received three life sentences without parole in a US prison. Instead, they put them up in a hotel with pagers, contact information and told them to get some sleep. The two men have spent nearly half their lives in prison serving three consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole. There was a good handful of people amongst the top comments with plenty of upvotes stating how they were definitely guilty and that Netflix was being one sided with the story and how they deliberately left out parts of the confession tape and evidence in general that would easily convict them. Thats why they take part.. Rafay stood to gain $500,000 in insurance money from his parents death. Rafay, also 32, retains some of his former traits too. To the Burnses, it was the police who were acting bizarre. Shes at her home in West Vancouver, a Tudor two-story with a dramatic cliff garden rising from the patio, which she shares with her husband David and 37-year-old daughter Tiffany, who has moved back in while she promotes her film and looks for a new TV reporting job. Certainly anyone with a penchant for quoting Nietzsche usually endears himself to me, he writes in a letter to Klonsky from this past March 23. 777 Followers, 638 Following, 781 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Sebastian Burns (@sebastian.burns) The ones saying they are guilty because of their confession are actually missing the point made in the programme about criminal braggadocio, even an experienced D.A agent so wanted to impress a Mr Big, he said things that would have got him indicted for homocide - things that were complete lies. Most notably, he is still an intellectual. Author: Raechel Dawson Atif Rafay, a target of the controversial Mr.Big technique and one of Canadas most famous convicted killers, has said that he felt extremely threatened during the undercover operation meant to extract a confession of murder. Marsh says he doesnt think so, since most members of the public wouldnt get involved with a Mr. Big in the first place. . Two teenage boys who arent mentally and emotionally mature yet see a horrific bloody scene of the family of one and Im sure Burns was close to the family too, in what world is it normal to expect a young boy to walk through the blood puddle of his own sister and look into her beaten face to make sure shes alive ? When the two 19-year-olds left to return to Canada after the murders, news broke that they had fled. When Atif Rafay missed his familys memorial at a Northgate mosque, and he was video-taped laughing, all hell broke loose. Rafay and Burns are now appealing the verdict. The Mr Big thing was a croc of shit. When Sebastian "left the cinema half way through the film", were there security cameras confirming this, or indeed leaving at the time the film finished? Sebastian Barry's 2005 novel, A . The crime went unsolved for a good amount of time until DNA tied the twoteen killersto the triple murder. Hes upset that in Mr. Big he appears to bolster the contention that theres something inherently wrong with it; he says he tried, unsuccessfully, to have himself removed from the film. And the two Innocence groups are offering whatever help they can, including advocacy with the press, additional legal advice, and forensics analysis. Although the murder was committed in the United States, the perpetrators were Canadian, further complicating the case. Gaslighting, and then lying about "evidence", "witnesses", and then offering the "I'm on your side-maybe it was an accident" narrative, is not uncovering the truth-it's conditioning the victim to confess to something they have been made to believe they are guilty of. That seemed completely convincing in a way that would only be convincing to an 18-year-old kid.. Sony Pictures Entertainment. We are the same ages. After the boys 2004 trial, in which they were found guilty and sentenced to life without parole, she left her job as a TV newscaster in Cleveland in order to make a documentary about the Mr. Bigtype sting operation, calling into question the methods used by the RCMP. Burns and Rafay, who had come to Vancouver immediately after the crime, were considered the chief suspects by Bellevue police. Human psychology is a damn complex field. I think theyre guilty. Burns and Atif Rafay were staying at the house and visiting the Rafay family during a break from college. Burns has exhausted all of his appeals and Atif Rafay is on his last one. Big technique used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian-equivalent to the FBI and brings in a Mr. Big expert to analyze what led to the incarceration of Atif Rafay and Sebastian Burns, who were teenagers at the time of the murders. What were they supposed to do, stare at the walls? asks Carole Burns, Sebastians mother. TV By Callum Hoare 09:00, 25 JAN 2018 0 seconds of 1 minute, 33 secondsVolume 90% 00:00 01:33 Loudenberg said she has the entire interrogation of Miyoshi and said what was left out of the prosecutors offices statement was the RCMPs threat against Myoshi with 99 years in prison and even a suggestion of the death penalty if he didnt give evidence against his friends. Good grief - you have all this noise about it being that kind of attack, then you get full detailed information about specifically who it was. Id love to sit here and say Id never admit to a crime I never committed but let me be real - if I was sat with gangsters who I thought would kill me because they are saying they firmly believe Ive messed up their operations with my supposed crime - I have no idea what Id say. When the cop asks "When did you do it?" Its not accepted anywhere else in the world because you not obtaining a true confession. JUST CANADA?? The theaters are easily exitable from within a cinema via the fire escapes without anyone noticing, light coming in, or seeing you leave during the movie. And although they would later volunteer a supposed confession in a Canadian hotel, which led to their conviction and prison sentencing after a six-month trial in 2004, the makers of The Confession Tapes arent convinced. The episodes introduce viewers to the Mr. In May of 2004, Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay were convicted of the July 1994 murder of Rafay's parents, Tariq and Sultana, and his sister, Basma. Rafay is not expected to take the witness stand in the trial, which. In addition, Atif Rafay and Burns friend Jimmy Miyoshi, who testified at their trial against them, admitted that he knew of their plans to commit the murders and that the motive was financial. When the two 19-year-olds left to return to Canada after the murders, news broke that they had fled. When Atif Rafay missed his familys memorial at a Northgate mosque, and he was video-taped laughing, all hell broke loose. As a child, Sebastian played cello, went on outdoor survival trips, and was, Carole says, a smart kid but lazy. He went to Capilano College, the place Carole says that kids go if their grades arent good enough to get into the University of British Columbia. I thought that was interesting, so I looked at the comment thread to see what other people thought. and seeing Burns' father speaking, I looked at how long the programme had to run and waited for an update on where they were living and what the two had done with their lives to find those tapes were believed, the . Atif Rafay claims he wasnt informed of the memorial, and Klonsky, the wrongful convictions scholar, explains in the documentary that the two were goofballs in shock.. With the two in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, also called the RCMP, began an investigation. Source: Seattle Weekly Ive always been interested in this case as I lived in North Vancouver and so did they. They sprayed the shower with a chemical that reveals traces of blood, he says, and boom, it lit up like a Christmas tree. It was the blood of Rafays father. This is no different. Miyoshi was put between a rock and a hard place and ultimately ended up testifying against his friends and lying on the stand.. At the time of the murders, the Rafay family had recently immigrated to Bellevue, Washington from Vancouver, B.C. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. All three family members had been bludgeoned to death. These criminals then befriended the suspects, claimed they knew their secret and developed a fabricated scenario in order to get the suspects to confess. As everything ends and the barn burns down, Sebastian's vision ends and he returns to the hallway and enters the basement. . As for forensic evidence? Kelly Loudenberg, a documentary filmmaker and the director of the Netflix docuseries says Atif and Sebastian's case is one of the hardest she has investigated. He thinks, as they smiled and laughed in the hotel room, they were doing something elsebragging and lying as they tried to appear tough. Loudenberg said she doesnt know what theyre talking about, because there is no forensic evidence against them., To the contrary, there was a pubic hair found in Mr. Rafays bed, in Tariq Rafays bed, and at first they initially asserted the public hair found in Mr. Rafays bed was certainly left there by the killer and, after it was found not to match any of the Rafays, nor Sebastian Burns, they dismissed it as a stray, she said. A quick search online, however, revealed a plethora of spirituality sites devoted to the . Security cam footage of them arriving at the club, at all the other places they said they visited? David Burns says that when he found out about the murders, he called the police to find out if they were holding his son, saying he was puzzled that he hadnt heard from him. The salacious detail only added to a press frenzy that made the Rafay murder case perhaps second only to the Green River Killer in amount of local ink spilled and footage shot.