 Transcript of an interview conducted by Detective River Hawthorne of the Toronto Police Service, with Hector Keith. Regarding a hit-and-run on September 16th, 2021, transcript provided without the consent of the Toronto Police Service. This is not an official TPS document. Detective Hawthorne begins. Mr. Keith, I'd like to remind you again that this interview is being recorded. Anything you say from here on out will be on the record. You understand? Yeah. Yeah, I understand. Alright, so on the record, I am speaking with Hector Keith. Is that correct? Yes. Alright, you entered our station at 7 o'clock this evening to turn yourself in for the hit-and-run that occurred on Palm Street at 4 o'clock this afternoon, correct? Yes, that's correct. Alright, so why don't you tell us a little bit about what happened, Mr. Keith? Where do you want me to start? At the beginning, Mr. Keith. At the beginning? Right. Right. I... Take your time. Thank you. I... I feel like I'm about to try and justify something that I can't, you know, trying to explain what happened, what I did. Look, it wasn't my fault, okay? I know how that must sound when you put everything into context, and I know that nobody is going to listen to me, but it wasn't my fault. Multiple witnesses said you accelerated your vehicle when you saw Michael Newell enter the road. You're contradicting that. No. I... God. Look, I don't want your side of the story on record, okay? You came in here. You didn't make us look for you, so I'm willing to give you that, but you have to talk to me. And you'll believe me? Why wouldn't I? I wouldn't believe me. Try me. Alright. Okay, at the beginning, man. The kid, you said his name was Michael. Michael Newell, yes. He lived in Toronto, right? In a house on the street where I... Yes. I've seen him before a few times, actually, but he wasn't in Toronto. What do you mean? I've seen him on the road before in other towns, other places. I've been working from home ever since COVID. It's been an adjustment. I'm used to the commute, you know? That was... It was my time alone. I'd sort of just de-stress, listen to music or my podcasts, and let my mind wander. If I was going through some shit, that was kind of my time to relax and think it through. Kind of like meditating. Then the world just shuts down, keeps everyone indoors, and there goes my commute. Okay. I didn't actually expect it to hit as hard as it did, but I guess you never know what you're going to do in a situation until it happens. I don't know. Being cooped up like that, I could feel it messing with my mental health. I got all stir crazy, unfocused, needed to get out. So I figured, why not try going on drives? Maybe it would make things a little better. So I started doing it. Every now and then, when I was feeling particularly stir crazy, I just get in my car and drive for a bit, stop off at a fast food place or a convenience store and get a drink, then pick a direction and just start driving. You know, you'd be amazed by the things you find when you do that. Scenic, back roads, charming little towns. There's all sorts of things out there, and most of it is barely even an hour from home. It helped. All that shit I was feeling, all that shit, it just sort of melted away while I was driving. Usually I'd do it at night or early in the morning, less people on the road. Every now and then, I'd turn it into an extended lunch run or something, though I don't know. It was just an escape. That's all very fascinating, Mr. Keith, but let me stop you right there. What exactly does any of this have to do with Michael? It's how I started seeing him. Sorry. Sorry. I had to ramble just nerves, I guess. Keep it to the point, please. Right, right. The boy in the road, that kid. First time I saw him, I was more out in the country. I'd been going for a while. I think I was out near Cambridge, maybe, wasn't close to home, though. I was looking for a way to get back onto the highway, to head back home and cut through some suburbs. I'd just gotten myself a root beer and was listening to one of my podcasts. When I saw him, and I saw him long before I even got close, he was on a sidewalk a short ways down, playing on somebody's lawn. He looked to be about three or four and had short blonde hair. And eyes so blue that I could clearly see them from down the street. I didn't see any parents or anyone watching him, which struck me is a little odd. Hey, he wasn't my kid. And so he really wasn't my problem. And it was the same boy you saw today. It was Michael Newell. Yeah, yeah, I'm pretty sure it was him. I slowed down, of course. I mean, little kids are unpredictable, and I didn't, I didn't want to. I slowed down, okay? Just like on principle. I didn't actually expect him to run out into the middle of the street. But with no one to stop him. That's exactly what he did. I was still some of the way down the street. When I saw him run out, had plenty of time to stop. So I did. He was probably a good 20 meters or so away from my car. And he just stood in the street and he watched me looked right in my car and he had this shit eating grin on his face, just grinning from ear to ear. I don't know. It kind of weirded me out. What if felt like he was goading me or something? Like he was basically just saying, come on, hit the gas, do it. So what did you do? I just waited until somebody got him the hell out of the road. I mean, he was just some dumb kid. Probably didn't even know what he was doing. I was expecting some concerned parent to run in and snatch him off the road. But nobody came. He just stood there grinning at me for Christ must have been four or five minutes long enough to be really weird. Did you try to go around him or turn around? I didn't want to move. I mean, he was just standing there staring at me. If I moved, maybe he'd have moved to eventually he did move. I don't know if he got bored or what, but after a while he just ran off to the other side of the street. I didn't see where he got to though. Maybe he got into someone's backyard. I see. So this kid from Toronto just ran out in front of you in Cambridge, correct? Look, I know how it sounds, but that's what happened. When was this roughly? August, I think August 2020. August 2020. You're absolutely sure that it was the same kid. I'd know him anywhere. You ever see him again? More times than I'd like. Saw him again about a month later. It was in town this time, though. I wasn't out on one of my drives. Just headed to my aunt's to help her with some computer shit. I wasn't busy and it wasn't far. So I just figured I'd pop over, help her out and be on my way. You're a real saint, Keith. So what? Michael Newell was sitting on her couch, eating cookies and milk? No, don't make fun of me for this, okay? You said you'd believe me. Yeah, okay, okay. I believe you. So where was Michael Newell? He ran out into the road in front of me. Same drill as last time, although this time I didn't see him in someone's yard beforehand. He just, he just sort of appeared. Run right out into the street like before from behind a parked SUV. Then same as before, he looked right at me, looked me dead in the eye through the windshield and he was grinning. And then what? Well, I stopped, obviously, stopped a little too close for comfort, but I stopped and God, I looked at him and I recognized him. Like I remembered him. He'd spooked me before. This time, though, you were scared of him. Damn right I was scared. I thought I just missed hitting a kid. That was twice now that some kid had just run out into the road as if he'd had a pressing meeting with Jesus in five minutes that he just couldn't miss. Didn't help that he looked exactly the same. And that smile, God, that smile. I think that's what made me realize that it was the same damn kid. I didn't want to believe it at first, obviously, but just looking at him. He stared at me just like he had last time, wearing the exact same smile as before. Just like last time, I sat there waiting him out. I don't think he stood in front of my car as long, but I don't really remember. All right, so what did he do next? Same drill as last time. He ran off and I just sort of felt shaken for a bit. And he came back the next month, too, right? And the next and the next. No. No. No. He came to my apartment. See this shit in my car that I could just try and hand wave as just nerves. I mean, it shook me up a little bit, sure. But I figured it was just two different kids and a really screwed up coincidence. Then about a week or so later, that's when I start seeing him outside my window. My apartment's got this balcony and I go out there to read sometimes. It's peaceful, you know, sure. So one night about a week or so after I saw the kid for the second time, I'm out on the balcony reading. I was taking a break having a smoke and, well, I look down. I look down and there he is standing in the street, the same damn kid. I'm up on the seventh floor, but I can tell you without a damn doubt that it was the same kid. How could you tell? The hair, the shirt, I'll bet he was even smiling too. It was him. I swear to you that it was him. All right. So what did he do? He just, he just starts walking. Soon as he knows I've noticed him, he just starts walking and heading into the front door of the apartment. There's no way you should get in. You need a fob to open the inside set of doors. But about 10 minutes later, I start hearing someone knocking on my door. So I go. I take a look through the peephole and the unsupervised toddler who somehow was stalking you was standing at your door. Yes. Damn it. Yes. He was right there. I saw him. He was standing right at the door and he had this grin ear to ear. I'd never seen a kid with that kind of creepy ass smile. It didn't. It didn't look right. It was like it was too big for his face. Right. So what did you do? I lock the door and I got the hell away from it. I kept hearing the knocking though, getting louder and louder every time until I swear it was shaking the door itself. I just I just crawled into bed. I crawled into bed, pulled the covers over my head and I waited for it to go away. Aha. So when did he come out of your closet? He was there. You don't believe me? No, Mr. Keith. No, I do not. What I currently believe is that you're either making up a very elaborate lie to somehow justify the fact that you murdered a three year old boy today or that you've suffered some sort of psychotic break. You want me to believe this? Where's your proof? Do you have a photograph of Michael Newell standing at your door? Do you have any proof that he was the child you saw on those other two occasions? I don't know if you've looked around lately. But there's a lot of blonde toddlers in the world today. Seeing some children running out into the road is not justification for you to run one down. I have proof. You should have the police report because I have proof. I told the officers what I saw when he tried to kill me. Excuse me. Look it up. There has to be a file. December. I had an accident. I saw him again then. He ran me off the road and I told the police what I saw. I told the doctors. I told everyone. I see. Why don't you tell me about the accident then? I was out up at a Christmas party with an old friend. I was headed back to the highway along some back roads. When I saw him, it was dark out, a little snowy, but I was good to drive. They checked my blood alcohol. I was sober, hadn't had a drop all night. I was on the back roads. That's when I saw him. There's this bridge. It's narrow and goes over a large pond. I drove over it. And when I did, he just came out of nowhere. One minute the bridge was clear, then next he's running out into the middle of it. I swerved, went right off the bridge and into the water. I see. My car went through the ice. Didn't flood it first. I was freaking out, but I thought that maybe I could find a way out. Tires wouldn't move, though. They just spun. Water started leaking and couldn't get the doors open against the weight of the water against them. I couldn't get out. I was trying to think my way through it, but I thought it was going to die. Clearly you didn't know. But I was there for a while. It was dark out sometime in the early morning. Maybe one or two. The water was freezing, kept flooding in through the doors slowly, but it the cabin filled up fast. After a couple of minutes, it was moving up my legs. Didn't get much higher than my chest. The pond wasn't that deep, but I was still stuck and I just sort of I struggled for a bit. But the best I could do was get my seatbelt off. I couldn't break the windows couldn't do much about the flooding couldn't open the doors. I was just stuck. I remember I looked out the windows a few times and he was there standing right at the edge of the pond, smiling that same damn smile. He was there watching me waiting on me to freeze to death. I was certain that it was him. I've told you enough times, Detective. I'm certain I don't know how I made it. The doctors told me that I ought to be dead. I sat there for maybe two or three hours, though dark, cold, alone, waiting to die. And the whole time that kid was staring at me. The only time he left was when the other car found me. And then I'm sure he was still around watching from the shadow somehow. I see. He made me crash. He made me go into the water. I told the police that they took my statement. I swear to you that I saw him that night. I see. Was that the last time you saw him? For a while. Yeah, spent about a month in the hospital, lost a couple toes, didn't drive much after that. I couldn't didn't go out on the balcony either. Every now and then, I'd hear a knock on my door. But unless I was expecting someone, I didn't answer it. Just in case it was him. So what changed? Why were you on the road today? I felt restless. I started driving again a couple of months back. Never really went far from home, just in case. But I haven't heard any strange knocks on my door since March. Haven't seen anything strange. I figured, I don't know, figured I might finally be in the clear. I figured that he was finally leaving me alone. And then today, I'm out for a drive and a little blonde boy runs out in front of my car and smiles at me. The same little blonde boy I saw a year ago. The one who nearly took my life. He ran out into the road and I, I hit the gas. Did you feel as if he was going to hurt you again? Yes. Yes, I did. It wasn't until I looked into my rear view mirror and I saw a woman running out into the road to check on the body that I, that I started to second guess it. Then I started to panic and I. You fled the scene. Yeah, I drove away, didn't stop driving until I ended up here. I couldn't, I couldn't go home because you knew you'd murdered someone. Yes. And when I looked in my rear view mirror, I saw him in my back seat covered in blood. Same as he was when I hit him in the street. I saw his corpse and it was grinning at me. Same wide grin from ear to ear. I saw him in my back seat and I, I can't, I can't do this anymore. Okay, I'm going to stop the tape now. Sit tight. I'll be back shortly. End of recording. The audio that this was transcribed from was sent in the following email from Detective River Hawthorne to Jane Daniels. Jane, I recall a little while back, you mentioned you knew a thing or two about ghost stories. I had this interview with a hit and run case a month or so back. I figured the story was bullshit, but the guy seemed pretty damn shaken. First I heard he was in a psych ward, model patient, go figure. The thing is, I'm not so sure this guy was lying anymore. A couple of weeks after this interview, some kid ran out in front of my car. Not quite like the guy described brown hair, overalls, and really intense blue eyes. Similar idea though. I didn't think too much of it, until about a month later when I saw it again. Then again, two weeks after that, look, I'm trying to look at this with a healthy dose of skepticism. But I swear to God, it's the same kid. There's something else too. In the interview, Hector Keith mentioned that the kid he saw had blue eyes. Maybe it's nothing, but I've gone back and actually taken another look at the pictures we have of the victim, Michael. And I can't help but notice one little thing. His eyes were brown, not blue. I could use some input if you've got the time. Signed Detective River Hawthorne