Masquerade - The Canty murder back in the 80's

[tarkus]

Sorry if this has been here before but couldn't find anything in archives. Was anyone familiar with the Canty murder back in the 80's? The book Masquerade, tells the tale of 2 heroin junkies on Cass who murdered a psychologist from GP who worked in the Fisher Building.

[SWMAP]

Dr. Canty's mother was the chairman of the Detroit School Board in the 1960's. I often mention my viewing of her going off in her little Ford car to evening meetings. That wasn't too common for older women in the 1960's. She drove herself and was in every way a serious woman. In the 1980's I had business with a another woman who was a DPS Board member. Imagine my surprise to find that she had a Black car and a driver for her exclusive use [[she was otherwise employed) and that this was a perk for all of the new generation of DPD School Board members then.

Now the School Board members don't have the budget to vote themselves such perks and we would all have been better off if there had never been such an era of glamorous over-spending by the Board and employees. Mrs. canty was a very good public servant and the state of the DPS reflected her ambitions for the schools rather than for herself and her friends.

As to Dr. Canty - I remember the story but don't ever remember seeing him.

[rjk]

I read the book many years ago. I remember the chapters alternating between what was going on in the CC and his home life in GP or one of the pointes.

I recall some of the body parts being found along I-75 around the area of where Great Lakes Crossing is now located. I've long forgotten what exit it was at, but for a year or two back in the 80's I always thought of Mr Canty when I passed that area.

One of the things I remember from the book is Mr Canty visiting Dawn Spens [[?) in the hospital and administering her drugs through an IV line.

[ocmobilexec]

I remember it. The Canty's had a large, beautiful home a few blocks away from where I lived with my parents at the time in GPP. The book [[Masquerade) pretty much tells the whole, ugly story.

[yaktown]

I don't recall it when it happened but I did read "Masquerade" by Lowell Cauffiel several years ago. The home where Mr. Canty was murdered is now demolished and is just a vacant lot. His body parts were dumped in parts of Detroit [[Buchanan/35th St, Springwells/I-75) as well as Auburn Hills and Alanson. Ironically, I live about 5 minutes from Joslyn/I-75 and have old family friends that have lived in Alanson for 30+ years. John Fry died in prison about 20 years ago. Dawn Spens cleaned up her life supposedly, got married and is quite successful in her financial job. I need to get in touch with Mark Bando soon and maybe rehash some of this case as well as other stories.

[JenniferL]

Here are some photos of the locations mentioned in the book: http://rachelcheetah.wordpress.com/2...nty-tour-2010/

Lots of interesting comments, including some from people who were connected to either the Canty family or John Fry.

[mikefmich]

We had mutual friends, who also happened to be a psychologist. When it all came out, she was stunned in disbelief.

[Hamtragedy]

Fry was captured at the burger joint on the corner of Schoolcraft and Evergreen, which still stands.

[dorts9537]

Alan was my cousin. He had followed in his father's footsteps and become a clinical psychologist. "Buster," as we called him, had done some acting in college, starting at Hillsdale, which he attended briefly. My uncle Alan, although very conservative, worked for the criminal courts, so he had a large laboratory for study. He seemed fascinated by sexual deviant behavior --urolagnia, masochism, and the like--and wrote a book about it. My cousin was very bright and quite intellectually curious.

Jan, his widow, was certain that my aunt [[my uncle Alan had died) knew of my cousin's other, dark life because my aunt Gladys was lending him money. I was certain she had no idea. In any event, Jan never spoke to my aunt again, and she forced my aunt to buy her interest in their suburban home. The result was that my aunt Gladys had to sell the house on Chalmers where she had lived for over 50 years and move to a much smaller home on the Harper Woods line--still in Detroit--just off the Moross exit of the Edsel Ford Expressway, where she lived until her death in 1995. The rest of the details are, of course, in Cauffiel's book. It was rather harrowing: my brother called me on a February morning to tell me that Buster had been murdered. We lived very ordinary lives; nothing like that had ever happened to anyone we knew.

[dorts9537]

The judge let Dawn Spens off with a slap on the wrist [[10 months confinement and some probation), for which he was heavily criticized. I never asked my aunt Gladys about that, or even if she was consulted by the prosecutor. We never really discussed it. I understand that Spens turned her life around; too bad my cousin never had the chance to turn his around, because Spens' pimp John Fry ended it with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

[dorts9537]

It was a very ugly story, and I was horrified to get a call from my brother in February [[I think it was 1985) telling me that our cousin "Buster" had been murdered. Aunt Gladys didn't give details, and we didn't ask for any, but we did know that Jan, his widow, never spoke to my aunt again. I think she was sure that Gladys knew about what Alan was doing. There was something financial involved as well: my brother told me that Jan had made financial demands [[maybe something to do with the house in Grosse Pointe Park) that necessitated my aunt's having to sell the house on Chalmers where she had lived for over 50 years and move to a much smaller house near Harper Woods [[Andrews or Chester, I never could remember the street name). After Gladys died in 1995, I took some furniture from her house, including Alan's bed. I couldn't part with it for some time because it reminded me of the conversations we had had when he and his parents came to Cleveland for a visit. He was very bright and articulate. I recently gave that maple youth bed to a consignment shop.

[dorts9537]

My Aunt Gladys was a class act all the way. She had also been an executive on the National Council of Christians and Jews. When we visited Edsel Ford's home in St. Clair Shores when I visited her in 1990, my aunt told me how Mrs. Ford had served tea to her and a group of others [[I don't know if it was the school board or the NCJW, but I think it was the latter) in the very room in which we were then standing. She was probably the only member of my father's family that really liked me, as I was less than lovable growing up. I mentioned that when I spoke at her funeral; I also sang all the funeral music.

[softailrider]

Fry was captured at the burger joint on the corner of Schoolcraft and Evergreen, which still stands.

Sonny's.......Good burgers!

[yaktown]

Jan is working on a book that may be out later this year. She is supposed to be in town May 4-5 but unfortunately has been stricken with cancer and may not make the trip. She's currently living on the west coast so travel may be difficult, understandably.

[Danny]

I remember the Canty Murder on the news when I was little kid. It's during that time when poor black folks in Detroit ghettos are just starting to get into crack!

[Chungs]

I remember the case because my family owned Chung's in the Cass Corridor and he used to come in all the time and order the same meal. Of course, we were all shocked that he had this double life and the one of our regulars could be murdered like that.

[G-DDT]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe my mom did photo development for investigators. We may have a few color photos of Dawn Spens.http://www.the-line-up.com/media/mur...he-motor-city/

[Detroit Stylin]

Im looking to do some research for a project on the Canty murders. I'd like to at least see where some of the places once stood at. Ive only been able to find a handful of addresses in the book "Masqeurade", but even if I cannot get any addresses then at least I'd like to have some landmarks, nearest intersections, etc, even if some of these places no longer are still standing.

I've been on this forum since 1999 so I know we have some of the best detectives and researchers I've seen in life here. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

-DS

[ggores]

Sonny's burger's still is a thriving neighborhood establishment located south west corner of evergreen and schoolcraft. perhaps some old timers have some recollections.

[Hamtragedy]

Sonny's burger's still is a thriving neighborhood establishment located south west corner of evergreen and schoolcraft. perhaps some old timers have some recollections.

Indeed, Sonny's [[or Jackson's, as it was also known) just changed ownership for the first time in about 25 years. Get this, the woman who owned the place [[her husband died several years ago), upon her death a few months ago, willed the restaurant to the two cooks who have worked there since they were teenagers, both from the neighborhood.

[Jan Canty, Ph.D.]

For those of you who remember Cass Corridor of yesterday, I wanted to update you on the murder and dismemberment of my spouse, Al Canty, by John Fry in 1985 on Casper near Pit Street. I have recently finished a manuscript about my coping with Al's murder, built upon recollection, reviewing of court records, revisiting the old "haunts," interviews, autopsy report and so on. If you are interested in seeing excerpts of my memoir, please visit my Facebook page entitled "Till Death We Did Part." https://www.facebook.com/JCantyPhD/ I have just returned from a trip to Detroit and could not believe the construction downtown.

[Jan Canty, Ph.D.]

what do you want to know? Jan Canty, Ph.D.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Indeed, Sonny's [[or Jackson's, as it was also known) just changed ownership for the first time in about 25 years. Get this, the woman who owned the place [[her husband died several years ago), upon her death a few months ago, willed the restaurant to the two cooks who have worked there since they were teenagers, both from the neighborhood.

Now that's interesting....

[mikefmich]

For those of you who remember Cass Corridor of yesterday, I wanted to update you on the murder and dismemberment of my spouse, Al Canty, by John Fry in 1985 on Casper near Pit Street. I have recently finished a manuscript about my coping with Al's murder, built upon recollection, reviewing of court records, revisiting the old "haunts," interviews, autopsy report and so on. If you are interested in seeing excerpts of my memoir, please visit my Facebook page entitled "Till Death We Did Part." https://www.facebook.com/JCantyPhD/ I have just returned from a trip to Detroit and could not believe the construction downtown.

Welcome to DetroitYes board.