Almost every day as John Margetson drives to Centennial College in Scarborough, where he works a professor in the police foundations program, he glances over to a hotel on the southbound side of Highway 401 at Warden Avenue and remembers a little girl named Evangeline Jones.
In 2020, after a 30-year career with the Toronto police, Margetson retired but his memories of that case have never subsided, despite the fact the murder of six-year-old Evangeline happened on Feb. 3, 2014.
“The odd thing is, I left the military and went into policing and didn’t really think about the trauma stress, because I joined in 1990 when it wasn’t a thing, per se. Some (cases) would affect me momentarily but it never really had a lasting impression and it’s probably a self-defence mechanism, but this case here with Evangeline, it stuck with me,” Margetson explained.
The father of two said he was part of a team of investigators on the case and recalled being in the hotel room that night after Evangeline and her seven-year-old brother had been given sleeping pills and wine. She died. Her brother survived.
He also spoke to the child’s mother the following day.
“I remember her walking around talking to us and I thought how did you get up this morning? How did you get out of bed?” he recalled.
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“If that was me, I would be in such a dark place. It’s not the first case I’ve ever done where there’s been victims of crime, parents, loved ones left behind, but this one — I can’t explain why it struck me so much. The obvious factor is a young child my own kid’s age and obviously the horrific nature, the betrayal lens of this crime. It just stuck in my brain.”
Margetsen said he had been to other horrific crime scenes over the years but this case was different.
“This one I just couldn’t move on from. When you walk into the hotel room, it’s like frozen in time. If my memory serves me correctly, I walked in and there’s a coat hanger on the wall by the bathroom and there’s a Dora the Explorer backpack,” said Margetsen.
“It’s the same backpack that my youngest daughter had.”
Evangeline’s father, who tried to take his own life, was later charged with the crime. He was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years.
“It really struck me, the egregious betrayal of a father to their children,” Margetsen said.
Now, nearly nine years after the murder, Margetsen has decided to do something to remember the young victim who was the same age as his youngest daughter.
A few weeks ago, he called Evangeline’s mother with an idea he had. After speaking with her and getting her blessing, he’s decided to launch a scholarship in Evangeline’s name at Centennial College in the police foundations program. Margetsen is committed to donating $1,000 a year.
“Every year there’s a presentation and we can keep the memory of Evangeline with her mother’s support,” Margetsen added.
He explained that when he reached out to Evangeline’s mother, they both cried. Margetsen holds back tears even remembering that call and is clearly emotional discussing the case.
While not active on social media, Margetsen has written a lengthy post about his experience on Facebook and Linkedin, encouraging others to donate in Evangeline’s memory.
“A tax deductible donation of any amount can be made to Centennial College. Please specify on the donation page that you want your donation directed to the Evangeline Jones Scholarship,” he writes.
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