The Murder Of Emanuel Jaques: A Dark Moment In Toronto’s History
Wrapped in a green garbage bag, the body of 12-year-old Emanuel Jaques was found on the roof behind a Yonge Street body-rub parlour in Toronto, Canada 1977.
Emanuel worked shining shoes around the city to make extra money for himself and his family. He was a familiar face downtown and was known as “the shoeshine boy”
On July 28 a man approached Emanuel, his brother Luciano and their friend Shane. The stranger bought them food and asked if they wanted to earn $35 an hour by moving photography equipment. All boys were intrigued but the man singled out Emanuel. He was excited for the opportunity and convinced his brother to let him go. After leaving with the mysterious man, Emanuel was never seen alive again.
Police finally found his body four days after his disappearance. They would later find out that he was brought to a body-rub parlour, tied up, injected with needles, sexually assaulted and drowned in a sink.
In the late 70’s, Toronto’s Yonge Street, known as the Sin Strip, was a hotspot for sex shops, strip clubs, body-rub parlours and drugs. When referring to the street, a Metro Toronto chairman said “It’s the giant scar on Metro’s pretty face.” The murder of Emanuel Jaques caused outrage in the city. Citizens blamed the boy’s death on a lack of law enforcement and demanded that the city make efforts to clean up Yonge Street.
After a panicked man-hunt, George Hislop, a gay rights activist, walked into a police station with information about Emanuel’s case. Shortly after, 26-year-old Saul David Betesh was arrested and charged with first degree murder. One day after the murder, Betesh had contacted Hislop and confessed his crime. Three other men were also arrested in connection to the murder: Albert Wayne Kribs, 41, Joseph Wood, 26 and Werner Greuner, 28.
When the public found out that the young boy had been sexually assaulted and murdered by men, the media shifted it’s focus on to the gay community. Innocent gay men became the targets of violence and the community as a whole took the blame for the incident. Emanuel’s murder is also considered to be a reason why the 1981 bathhouse raids took place.
During the trial Robert Wayne Kribs pleaded guilty. The other 3 waited for the justice system to decide their fate. Saul David Betesh and Joseph Woods were found guilty in trial and Werner Greuner was acquitted.
Even though Emanuel’s death took place over 40 years ago, it still affects Toronto to this day. It was a dark moment in the city’s history and it will never be forgotten.
