Naman Shrestha
In 2010, a fishing trip turned out to be deadly for school teacher Laura Letts-Beckett as she was found dead under mysterious circumstances, with the authorities suspecting that things might be way different and darker than they appeared. Thus, they launched an extensive investigation, and what followed was a complicated trial of the alleged killer. All the intricate details of the case and the investigation that ensued are covered in the 3-part documentary titled ‘In Cold Water: The Shelter Bay Mystery,’ which also features insightful interviews with the victim’s family and friends, who share their respective perspectives on the case, the ensuing investigation and further proceedings.
Laura Letts-Beckett Met Her Demise During a Trip to Upper Arrow Lake
It was on July 16, 1960, when Park and Beth Letts of Westlock gave birth to a little bundle of joy in the form of Laura Letts-Beckett. She shared the love and support of his parents with her siblings — Scott and Paul. The four made a loving family who had each others’ backs from early on in life. While growing up, she discovered her love for children as well as teaching. Thus, she began pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher.
After completing her education with flying colors, Laura became a teacher at Dapp School and began devoting her time to educating first and second-graders. In 1995, she traveled all the way to New Zealand, where she took a guided tour and explored various picturesque places. That is when she locked eyes with Peter Ernest Beckett, a former Napier City councilor. As they got to talking, the pair hit it off instantaneously, almost like they had known each other for years. After Laura headed back to her hometown in Canada, she kept in touch with Peter by exchanging letters regularly. At the time, he was reportedly legally married to Wendy Sail with whom he has four kids.
A few years later, Peter relocated to the town of Westlock in Alberta, Canada, in order to stay close to Laura. The two spent more quality time with each other and became certain that they wanted to spend their lives together. So, in 2003, the couple made their relationship official by tying the knot in the presence of their loved ones. Everything seemed perfectly fine in Laura’s life when a tragedy struck on August 18, 2010. Laura and Peter traveled to Upper Arrow Lake once every year and did so in August 2010 as well, while they stayed in their motorhome near Revelstoke. On the fateful evening, the police received a call about the drowning death of Laura Letts-Beckett on the lake while rafting. Upon arriving at the scene, the authorities inspected her body and launched an investigation.
The Man Convicted For Laura Letts-Beckett’s Murder Was Released After An Appeal
From the onset of the investigation, the detectives kept a close watch on Laura Letts-Beckett’s husband, Peter Beckett, who was the only witness present during the incident. When questioned by the authorities, he claimed that he and his wife were boating in their Zodiac raft on Upper Arrow Lake on the evening of August 18, 2010. While he was busy fishing, he told them that she fell off the boat into the cold lake. Since she did not know how to swim, she drowned in the lake. According to his account, he dived into the water himself to try and save her, but by the time he pulled her to the shore, she had died.
However, the investigators found Peter’s account of the fateful day inconsistent and hard to believe. Thus, about a year after Laura’s tragic death, her husband was arrested and accused of murdering his wife. The detectives learned that the pair’s marriage was not perfect; in 2007, they went through a rough patch and separated for a while before reconciling a few months later. The authorities also speculated that he had a greedy motive to murder, as he could make the most of her life insurance and pensions. Meanwhile, the suspect maintained his innocence and claimed that she either fell from the boat by accident or jumped off intentionally. While he was in jail, it was reported that he allegedly arranged the murders of potential witnesses, including Laura’s cousin Virginia Lyons-Friesen.
Nearly five years after his arrest, Peter stood trial for his alleged crimes in early 2016, but the judge declared it a mistrial in April of the same year. A retrial took place in 2017, which resulted in the jury finding him guilty of first-degree murder for the planned drowning of Laura Letts-Beckett in 2010. Thus, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Determined to prove his innocence, he appealed his conviction in 2020 and got it overturned. By December of the same year, he was a free man after his murder charges were dropped after he was imprisoned for nearly a decade. With the charges against Peter dropped the truth about the murder case of Laura remains a mystery.
