I found this article about meier's death. It does seem to explain a lot about the family dynamics at the time of his death.
Cold case remains unsolved
Murder of Lacombe multi-millionaire remains a mystery
Posted 4 months ago
Calgary private investigator Bruce Dunne says the hat resting on the rail may have been left behind at the crime scene after Gary Meier was murdered August 2001. To the right, a piece of tarp on the kitchen floor covers the spot where Meier was shot and killed. The photo was taken the day police released the crime scene and just days after Meier was murdered.
LISA JOY
Globe Editor
LACOMBE – Gary Frank Meier’s murder remains unsolved with no new leads as to who shot and killed him on his acreage on Aug. 10, 2001.
But Calgary private investigator Bruce Dunne—who was hired by Meier’s widow and has pursued the case since day one—hasn’t given up finding his killer.
“I’m still overturning rocks from time to time but nothing definite yet,” said Dunne in an interview Friday.
He still maintains that bikers played a role in the slaying.
“I know bikers were involved,” Dunne previously told the Globe. “They were looking for Gary a week before he was killed but he was in Saskatchewan.”
Dunne said just days after Meier was murdered, he became involved in a physical altercation with alleged bikers near Red Deer after questioning them about Meier’s death. Then the next day, he says a shot was fired at his Calgary home. The incident was reported in a story by Calgary-based Alberta Report magazine when they wrote about Meier’s murder late in 2001.
Meier, a Lacombe businessman, was found shot to death on his acreage on Aug. 10, 2001. Autopsy results show he died of a single gunshot wound. Calgary Major Crimes assisted Red Deer Rural RCMP office in the initial investigation.
Meier was a self-made millionaire with an elementary education. Court documents in Calgary revealed his estate was worth about $5.3-million.
Meier’s daughter Arleen—who gave up her court battle with her step-mother over his estate—previously told the Globe she never knew her father was worth that much. She was fighting in court for her father’s trailer business that she says was owned by a Saskatchewan company she owned jointly with her father.
A signed affidavit filed in Calgary court on Jan. 26, 2006, by the estate administrator, shows the Saskatchewan holdings were valued at almost $3-million.
Just one day after Meier was found shot to death, family members started battling among themselves for control of his multi-million dollar estate. According to a sworn affidavit filed in Court of Queen’s Bench in Red Deer, on Aug. 14, 2001, by his estranged wife Lori Anne Meier, she became embroiled in a heated argument with one of Meier’s out-of-town sisters and an unnamed brother over control of Meier’s business empire. The verbal dispute—which occurred on the victim’s acreage and near the crime scene—had to be broken up by Red Deer Rural RCMP. Family members continued to slug it out in court for years to come. The bulk of the estate was eventually awarded to Meier’s estranged wife.
Police say there were no signs of forced entry to Meier’s home and robbery does not appear to be a motive for the shooting.
Calgary court documents reveal police found $100,000 in cash in Meier’s home at the time of his murder. Meier is also believed to have a $250,000 bank draft on him when he was shot according to a sworn affidavit filed by Lori Anne Meier.
Police hit a wall in the investigation. Former Red Deer Rural RCMP Sgt. Neil Lemay previously told the Globe they are still investigating but the trail is cold and most witnesses weren’t co-operating.
After police released the crime scene, Dunne did his own investigation, scouring the scene for evidence. Dunne said there was evidence several people may have been in Meier’s home at the time of his death, including two shooters. He said one person fired four to five warning shots from a 22-calibre weapon at Meier.
“It was probably to get his attention,” Dunne said.
Then, Dunne says Meier was shot execution style by someone using a different type of weapon. Dunne says Meier was then placed, seated, in the kitchen chair. He added that there was no blood splatter or staining on the chair, proving he was not seated on it at the time of his death.
Dunne said if robbery wasn’t the motive then where’s the $250,000 bank draft and an additional $70,000 in cash he believes Meier had on hi. When Dunne searched Meier’s home, he says he found another $18,000 in cash stashed in satchels, clothing pockets and dresser drawers.
“It was everywhere,” Dunne said previously.
Dunne believes the killer made one crucial mistake and believes it’s the key to solving the eight-year cold case. He found a hat resting on a rail in the kitchen. He said he can prove the hat did not belong to Meier and thinks it was left behind by someone who either witnessed, or was involved, in Meier’s murder.
After police released the crime scene, there was a break-in at Meier’s home and some items were stolen. Cpl. Rob Norum formerly of Red Deer Rural RCMP said the timing of the break-in after the murder raised suspicions about whether the person came back but said police could not tie the break-in to Meier’s murder.
RCMP have more than 400 tip files on the case and police followed all of them. The police investigation into Meier’s murder was difficult because of Meier’s activities and the number of people who didn’t have a positive relationship with him.
-editor@lacombeglobe.comArticle ID# 1676089
Topic: Gary Meier's murder near lacombe (Read 3951 times)
