GILBERT PAUL JORDAN

Gilbert Paul Jordan (December 12, 1931 – July 7, 2006),

known as the 'Boozing Barber', was a Canadian serial killer who is believed to have committed the so-called "alcohol murders" in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Lifelong criminal

Jordan, a former barber, was linked to the deaths of at least ten women between 1965 and 1988;he was the first Canadian to use alcohol as a murder weapon. Jordan's lengthy criminal record started in 1952 and includes convictions for rape, indecent assault, abduction, hit and run, drunk driving and car theft.

His method of murder was to stalk Native Canadian prostitutes in Vancouver's Downtown East Side. He would pay the women for sex and company and encourage them to drink with him. When they passed out, he would pour liquor down their throats.The resulting deaths were reported as alcohol poisoning and police paid little attention, especially because the victims were typically alcoholics and prostitutes. Jordan was known for drinking more than 50 ounces of vodka each day. According to reports, he had an insatiable hunger for drunken sex.

First arrests

In 1988, Jordan was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Vanessa Lee Buckner, who was found naked on a hotel room floor after a night of drinking with Jordan.A month after her murder, another woman named Edna Shade was found dead in another hotel. Jordan's fingerprintswere found and linked to the earlier death. Vancouver police then put Jordan under surveillance. They rescued his next intended victim as he was poisoning her. He was overheard by police to say, "Down the hatch, baby. Twenty bucks if you drink it right down ... You want another drink? I'll give you 50 bucks if you can take it."

In 2000, Jordan attempted to change his name to Paul Pearce. At the time, a name change in British Columbia did not require fingerprinting or a criminal check. After the loophole was closed, he dropped the application.

Jordan served six years for the manslaughter conviction. After his release, he was placed on probation which restricted him to Vancouver Island. On August 11, 2004, he was arrested in Winnipeg for violating that probation order.

Police warning

On February 3, 2005, the Saanich Police Department issued an alert to warning the public to be cautious of the recently-released Jordan:

JORDAN, Gilbert Paul, age 73, is the subject of this alert. JORDAN is 175cm (5'9") tall and weighs 79kgs (174lbs). He is partially bald with grey hair and a grey goatee. He has blue eyes and wears glasses. JORDAN is currently in the Victoria area but has no fixed address. JORDAN has a significant criminal record including manslaughter and indecent assault of a female. He uses alcohol to lure his victims. JORDAN's target victim group is adult females. JORDAN is subject to court ordered conditions including:

- Abstain absolutely from the consumption of alcohol.

- Not to be in the company of any female person or persons in any place where alcohol is being either consumed or possessed by that person or persons.

If you observe the subject in violation of any of the above conditions please call the Saanich Police Department at 475-4321, 911 or your local police agency. If you have questions concerning the public notification process please contact the BC Corrections Branch at 250-387-6366."

Cultural impact

Jordan was the subject of the 1997 Canadian television program Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science in an episode called "Dead Drunk". The program described the forensic work used to convict him in 1988.

A dramatization, The Unnatural and Accidental Women was written by Vancouver playwright Marie Clements and performed in, among other places, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto (2004). In the play, the writer focused on the story of the victims in an attempt to redress the failure of the news media to do so.

Marie Clements later wrote a script for the movie Unnatural & Accidental which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.

Jordan and his crimes served as inspiration for the first several episodes of Da Vinci's Inquest. The crime series, set in Vancouver, portrayed a serial killer using alcohol as a murder weapon and stalking prostitutes. The portrayal departed from the facts by having the killer die before he could be arrested; he was murdered by one of his victims' brother, tipped to his identity by a detective.