25th Anniversary of MacDonald’s Murders in Sydney

Today marks the 25th anniversary of one of the worst crimes in the history of Cape Breton. It was on May 7th, 1992 when a robbery gone wrong at a Sydney MacDonald’s restaurant claimed the lives of three people and left a fourth with permanent brain injuries. Donna Warren, James Fagan and Neil Burroughs Jr, all in their twenties, were shot and killed during the robbery. A fourth person shot, Arleen MacNeil, was left with permanent disabilities. The robbery was carried out by an employee of the restaurant, Derek Wood, along with Darren Muise and Freeman MacNeil. Wood and MacNeil are eligible to apply for full parole this year while Muise was paroled in 2012 and now resides in British Columbia. The MacDonald’s restaurant where the murders took place has since been torn down.