Reginald and Florence Birchall are a couple that pose as British aristocrats in Oxford County, Ontario. Rex, as he likes to be called, seems to have a well thought plan to get rich by luring young Englishmen to Canada promising them wealth and luxury that they can achieve on a fictional farm.
The scam is revealed once the body of Frederic C. Benwell, one of Rex's "business partners", is found in the Blenheim Swamp. The primary suspect is Reginald Birchall, who is arrested and trialed because of a key witness: Douglas Pelly, one of his victims who managed to avoid the scam and death.
The trial takes place in Woodstock and the jury reach the verdict: GUILTY. That is in spite of the defense attorney proving that the gun Benwell was shot with doesn't match the bullet caliber. Rex is sentenced to be hanged.
Birchall waits in jail for the hanging day. Florence tries her best to prove him innocent and to prove her endless love for him. They can't do anything to change the situation. Reginald is hanged. Was he really guilty? Did they hang an innocent man?
Join us as we revisit the 1890 Birchall-Benwell Affair, one of the most sensational murder cases in Canadian history. From a gruesome discovery in the Blenheim Swamp to the trial in Woodstock’s Old Town Hall and beyond...
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