Jonathan Allore (February 4, 1964 – March 30, 2023), usually credited as John Allore, was a Canadian actor and podcaster, most noted for his true crime podcast Who Killed Theresa.[1] The podcast started out as a personal exploration of the Death of Theresa Allore, his sister, and later expanded its focus to cover other unsolved crimes.[2]
Background edit
Born in Trenton, Ontario, he was raised principally in Saint John, New Brunswick, where he dated journalist Patricia Pearson in high school.[3] He was 14 years old when his older sister Theresa was murdered in 1978 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, soon after starting college studies at Champlain College.[2]
Acting career edit
After graduating from Trinity College at the University of Toronto, he worked as an actor in the early 1990s, with a major role as Angus Snack in the 1991 film The Events Leading Up to My Death.[4] He subsequently moved to the United States to work in Hollywood, where he had supporting roles in the films Trapped in Paradise and A Pyromaniac's Love Story, and a guest role in the television series Dawson's Creek, but later left acting and moved to Durham, North Carolina, where he took a job in the accounting department of the city government and pursued a master's degree in public administration.
Victim advocacy and podcasting edit
In the early 2000s he enlisted Pearson's help to investigate his sister's death, and advocated for the Sûreté du Québec to reopen the case.[5] After finding substantial evidence that she may have been murdered by a serial killer,[6] he became prominent as a victim's rights advocate, including advocating for the creation of a provincial cold case squad,[7] launching a memorial scholarship in Theresa's name at Champlain College,[8] and being interviewed for Cal Millar's book Find My Killer: Unsolved Homicides.[9]
He worked with senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu on the 2013 Victims Bill of Rights.[10]
He launched the podcast Who Killed Theresa in 2017, starting out covering his sister's death and later expanding to cover other unsolved crimes.[11] In 2018 he was awarded the Senate of Canada’s Sesquicentennial Medal for his work in victims advocacy.[12]
He and Pearson coauthored the 2020 book Wish You Were Here: A Murdered Girl, a Brother's Quest and the Hunt for a Serial Killer.[13]
In 2022, he became budget director for the city of Durham.[14]
Death edit
On March 30, 2023, he died after being hit by a car while cycling.[14] He had just recently been interviewed for an episode of the Global Television Network's crime newsmagazine series Crime Beat, and the episode was advanced from its original planned broadcast date to immediately air the day his death was announced.[2]
References edit
- ^ Stephane Giroux, "John Allore, ex-Montrealer who sought for decades to solve sister's murder, dies in bike crash". CTV News Montreal, March 31, 2023.
- ^ a b c Dan Spector, "Former Montrealer John Allore remembered as tireless, generous advocate for crime victims". Global News, March 31, 2023.
- ^ Alan Freeman, "Crusading author and podcaster John Allore advocated for the victims of unsolved crimes: Inspired by the mysterious death of his sister, Mr. Allore railed against police incompetence and became a tireless campaigner on behalf of the families of the missing and murdered". The Globe and Mail, April 6, 2023.
- ^ "Film review: The Events Leading Up to My Death". The Globe and Mail, June 5, 1992.
- ^ Paul Cherry, "'Cold cases' reopened by SQ: The killings of three females in the Townships are being investigated again after the brother of one of them brought up new allegations". Montreal Gazette, August 21, 2002.
- ^ Jen Young, "Bones belong to animals: Allore search party results back from lab". Sherbrooke Record, October 24, 2006.
- ^ Sarah Howard, "Allore calls for Quebec cold case squad". Sherbrooke Record, June 19, 2006.
- ^ Jen Young, "Champlain's Theresa Allore Scholarship is bitter sweet for brother; Tired of blaming". Sherbrooke Record, October 22, 2008.
- ^ Allison Hanes, "Student murder focus of book on failed cases; Serial-killer theory plausible, ex-policeman says". National Post, September 24, 2008.
- ^ Maurice Crossfield, "Victims advocate, true crime investigator John Allore killed in cycling accident; 'Life isn't fair, justice is blind and dysfunctional, and some cops aren't smart and dedicated like on television'". Sherbrooke Record, April 6, 2023.
- ^ Morgan Lowrie, "'Who killed Theresa?:' 40 years later, brother seeks answers in Quebec cold case". Canadian Press, August 18, 2018.
- ^ Gravenor, Kristian (January 2019). "Shining The Light On Cold Cases". Police Advocates Journal. Issue 5: 17–20.
{{cite journal}}:|volume=has extra text (help) - ^ Aileen Donnelly, "A decades-long quest to solve his sister's killing; Quebec man 'all in'on investigation into 1978 death of college student". National Post, September 19, 2020.
- ^ a b Akilah Davis, "'Great loss to our city': Durham's budget director John Allore killed during bike ride". WTVD, March 31, 2023.
External links edit
- John Allore at IMDb