Murder At The Road House

A family night out ended with a 44-year-old father beaten to death. But what triggered the fatal attack – and who was the killer?

Art Rozendal enjoyed his Friday nights out. After a long week fixing heavy machinery at the local steelworks, the father of two often headed to O’Grady’s pub to enjoy a drink and a dance. It was only five minutes’ walk from his home in the Bruce Park area of Hamilton, Ontario.

On 14 January 2005, Art set out with his beloved wife Brenda, 44, and son Neil, 18. They were meeting friends at O’Grady’s.

Art drank beer and challenged Neil to a game of pool. Three men were playing a noisy game at the adjacent table. It was cramped, but they all took turns to play their shots. Meanwhile, Brenda stepped on the dance floor.

She knew Art wouldn’t be far behind. Despite his hard-hat job, he was a romantic who wrote her poems, danced with her in the rain.

Their pool game over, Neil went home to persuade his brother to join the family. Telling his wife he’d be with her for a dance in a few moments, Art went to the bathroom. It was down the hall, hidden from the rest of the bar.

He was gone for a while. Brenda began to wonder if he was OK.

Minutes later, Art was discovered sprawled motionless on the floor outside the bathroom.