UNSOLVED: Jillian Fuller - 03/04/93 - Vancouver, BC
By: S.M.Last Updated: 04/13/20
* All photos are originally from the VPD Cold Case website unless otherwise stated
The Unsolved Murder of Jillian Fuller
March 4, 1993 - The Fire
Early in the morning on March 4, 1993, a man delivering newspapers called 911 to report an apartment fire in the 8700 block of Granville Street in Vancouver, BC. When firefighters arrived, they discovered 28-year-old Jillian Fuller’s body inside her burned-out apartment, located in a three-storey complex at 8770 Granville Street. It was quickly determined she’d died as the result of a vicious assault, and the fire had been deliberately set to cover up her murder.
Parking lot at 8770 Granville St.
The entrance to Jillian Fuller’s apartment.
March 4, 1993 - The Fraser Arms Hotel
The last person to see Jillian Fuller alive, other than her murderer, was a waitress at the Rock Cellar Pub, a bar inside the Fraser Arms Hotel at 1450 SW Marine Drive in Vancouver.
Shortly after midnight, Jillian left the hotel to head downstairs to the Pub, where she stayed until about 1:30 to 1:40 a.m. - just a few hours before her murder.
The Fraser Arms Hotel, where Jillian Fuller was last seen.
The waitress who saw Jillian said she wore a sweater with red trim, carried a pink coloured book, and left with a man around this time. He was described as 6 feet tall with dark skin and curly hair.
Investigators have said it’s possible Jillian and the man didn’t actually leave together, but had made plans to meet up at her apartment. It’s also possible she was followed.
It was a three minute walk from the Rock Cellar Pub to Jillian’s apartment.
The man she was with has never been identified.
Distance between Jillian’s apartment & The Fraser Arms Hotel. Source: Google Maps.
The road Jillian likely walked to her apartment.
Who was Jillian Fuller?
Jillian Fuller was the daughter of Vancouver lawyer George Fuller and psychiatrist Dr. Lois Fuller. She was a French scholar and had at one point been ranked 23rd among Canadian women outdoor speed skaters. Those who knew her described her as outgoing, compassionate and very intelligent. She played the piano and was a competitive runner.
Jillian also struggled with alcoholism.
When she originally moved into the apartment at 8770 Granville Street, it was with a man she’d met while in treatment for alcoholism. According to her father, she had at one time been engaged to a man with a “lengthy criminal record.” In the months before her murder, she had been assaulted by “drinking companions” on two separate occasions.
At the time of her murder, she lived alone.
Because there was no forced entry to her apartment, investigators believe Jillian knew the man who killed her.
Inside Jillian Fuller’s apartment.
November, 1993 - A Message from Washington
Eight months after Jillian’s murder, an anonymous letter arrived at the Vancouver Police Department.
Sent from Washington, DC, on November 15, 1993, the typed letter was addressed to the Chief of Detectives in the Homicide Department of the Vancouver Police Department:
Dear Sir:
I am writing about the murder of Jillian Fuller on March 4, 1993 (for which there has not been an arrest) to say that, if you have not already done so, you should consider…
The body of the message has been redacted, but it ends with a message of subtle skepticism and urgency:
While I would like to think that if I gave my name you would hold it in confidence, I hope you will not discount the information or ideas in this letter because I write anonymously.
The VPD has not released the full contents of the letter, nor have they commented on any theories about the identity of the anonymous tipster. However, they did release an image of the letter and its envelope.
The message never led investigators to Jillian Fuller’s murderer - but its release is significant in and of itself.
In 1993, how would someone in Washington even know about Jillian Fuller’s murder?
And why would somebody writing a letter 4,673 km from the crime scene have concerns about their identity, unless they had something to hide?
According to the Vancouver Police Department Cold Case File for Jillian Fuller, her family still struggles with their grief. In March 2013, following the 20-year anniversary of her death, Jillian’s sister Jane wrote a letter explaining lasting affects of the murder on their family:
“The toll that my sister’s death has caused my family over the last twenty years is truly immeasurable. It cast a dark cloud on our family that has never been lifted. Her loss has left a deep wound in all our lives, and the fact that her killer was never found means that wound will always be unhealed.”
It’s been nearly 27 years since someone brutally murdered Jillian Fuller inside her apartment and set fire to the scene.
He knows what he did. If he drinks, and frequents bars - as investigators believe - it’s likely he’s spilled the details of his heinous crime to somebody.
He knows what he did, and it’s likely other people know too.
27 years is a long time - but not long enough to get away with murder.
Suspect sketch of the man who murdered Jillian Fuller.
Contact VPD Homicide
If you have a tip or would like to talk to investigators about Jillian Fuller’s murder or any of the cases featured on its website, contact the Vancouver Police Department Homicide Unit at:
(604) 717-2500
Vancouver Sun article. Source: VPD Cold Case Files.
The area surrounding Jillian Fuller’s apartment.
A Brief History of the The Fraser Arms Hotel
The Fraser Arms hotel is an historically significant site in Vancouver - but not entirely for good reasons.
On April 24, 1988, the Vancouver Fire Department’s first 6-alarm fire occurred at the Fraser Arms Hotel. The first call came in at 9:41 p.m. The fire continued its rapid spread throughout the hotel and through the roof. The fire had injured several people before it was finally contained, just before midnight. The fire caused an estimated $1 million in damage. It’s believed to have been started underneath a wooden stairway at the back of the building.
In 1993, the Fraser Arms Hotel and Retail Plaza was acquired by the Musqueam in order to preserve the Musqueam Marpole Village lands. The property is located on one of the most significant archaeological sites in Canada.