Thomas Young was born in 1931 in Ontario, Canada. He grew up with at least two brothers, one of whom was named John. Details about his upbringing remain scarce, but he was known locally and had worked for Ontario Hydro at one point, suggesting he had some degree of technical skill or training.

By his late twenties, Young was reportedly prone to erratic moods and unpredictable behavior, according to neighbors and those who knew him. He was also known to drink heavily. His personal life appeared troubled, with unconfirmed signs of jealousy and fixation, particularly toward Clara Gordon, a young woman he had known for years. When Clara married 18-year-old Walter "Jimmy" Gordon, some believed that Thomas took it personally.

In the late hours of December 24, 1958, Thomas Young attended a Christmas party in Ear Falls, Ontario. At some point, he became embroiled in an argument. When his brother John Young tried to calm him down, Thomas slapped him in the face and stormed out, telling others he was heading home.

Early the next morning, on Christmas Day, a drunken Thomas was inside the cabin of his father, Albert Young, when John arrived with Walter “Jimmy” Gordon (18) and his wife Clara Gordon (16), presumably to relax and enjoy music. Accompanying them was David Williams (16). As they entered, John opened the kitchen door and was met with a terrifying sight: Thomas, armed with a rifle.

John yelled for everyone to run. Thomas opened fire. Albert Young, Clara Gordon, and Walter Gordon were all killed. David and John managed to flee into the freezing Canadian wilderness and ran to the nearby home of David’s father, George Williams (47). After hearing the story, George and John rushed to alert the local constable.

That officer was Calvin Russell Fulford (28). At the time, Fulford had been spending Christmas morning with his wife and three children, aged between 21 months and nine years. After hearing about the killings, Fulford armed himself with his service revolver and headed toward the Young cabin with George Williams and John Young.

As they approached, roughly 60 feet from the cabin, Thomas fired again. George was shot and killed while charging at him. Fulford was wounded in the shoulder but tried to crawl back to his vehicle. Thomas advanced, took the officer’s revolver, shoved it into Fulford’s mouth, and executed him at close range. John once again escaped the gunfire.

John ran to Fulford’s home and informed the officer’s wife of the tragedy. She quickly called for backup. When responding officers arrived, they found Fulford’s body near the cabin. As they investigated, Thomas began shooting at them again—this time from a nearby shack owned by his grandparents.

The police deployed tear gas, flushing him out. He surrendered and was found armed with both his rifle and Fulford’s revolver. Though he offered no motive, investigators suspected Clara Gordon had been raped, and evidence suggested she had tried to flee before being dragged back inside. It was also revealed that Clara had been pregnant, and she and her husband had only been married for two weeks.

Thomas was formally charged with the murder of Constable Fulford—a deliberate move to ensure the death penalty could be applied. Other charges were not pursued. At his trial in March 1959, multiple witnesses testified to seeing him commit the murders. Thomas claimed to have no memory of the attack, blaming excessive drinking and stating his last memory was walking home. He said he “came to” while walking down a highway and found himself carrying weapons.

The jury took just three hours to convict him of murder. On March 21, he was sentenced to death by hanging, with no recommendation for mercy. Despite attempts at appeal and a petition to the federal cabinet, the conviction stood. The execution was scheduled for June 30, 1959, and carried out at Kenora District Jail.

According to the sheriff, Thomas Young was "exceptionally calm" in his final moments. He declined to make a final statement and was pronounced dead at 2:20 a.m.