Netflix revisits Virginia murders that resonated in Nova Scotia nearly 40 years ago

A violent crime that horrified Nova Scotians nearly 40 years ago is being revisited in a new Netflixdocumentary.

The four-part series, Till Murder Do Us Part:Soering vs. Haysom, was released earlier this month. Itfollows the 1985 double-murder of Derek Haysom a former president and chairman of the Sydney Steel Corporation (Sysco) in Nova Scotia and his wife Nancy at their home in Virginia, and the ensuing media firestorm that followed in the wake of their deaths.

The killings were particularly brutal, with both victims stabbed multiple times and their throats slashed.

But whathappened next is why people are still talking about the crime today.

Nova Scotia's first report of the murder of former Sydney Steel executive

11 months ago

Duration 1:02

Derek Haysom and his wife, Nancy Haysom, were killed at their Virginia home in 1985. The family had strong ties to Nova Scotia.

The couple's daughter Elizabeth Haysom, who grew up in Nova Scotia, and her boyfriend,Jens Soering, the son of a West German diplomat whoshe met in residence at the University of Virginia, were charged in the murders.

Not long after the killings, the couple fled to Europe, where they were picked up nearly a year later for attempting to pass bad cheques.

While in custody, British officials found lettersElizabeth Haysom had written to Soeringimplicating them in the murders, and contacted Virginia police.

According to a New Yorker article from 2015,Soeringinitially confessed to committingthe murders because hewrongly assumed he would be protected by diplomatic immunity, andlater recanted.He said only that he lied to prevent his girlfriendfrom facing the death penalty.

Elizabeth Haysompleaded guilty to two counts of accessory to murder before the factand was sentenced to 90 years in prison. Soering, who ended up pleading not guilty,was convicted and sentenced to two consecutive life terms forexecuting the killings.

In the ensuing decades, each has remained steadfast in claiming the other carried out the murders.

The docuseries, which Soeringparticipated in but Elizabeth Haysom declined to be interviewed for, contraststheir claims in an attempt to discover who is telling the truth.

Deep connections to Nova Scotia

The series mentions Derek Haysom's connection to Sysco,but doesn't explore the family's connection to Nova Scotia.

Born in South Africa, he held a variety of influential positions during his time in Nova Scotia, including at Sysco, a Crown corporation. Later, he becamepresident of Metropolitan Area Growth Investments (MAGI), a venture capital organization with provincial and federal fundingthat made investments inlocal businesses.

Netflix revisits Virginia murders that resonated in Nova Scotia nearly 40 years ago

11 months ago

Duration 3:38

The documentary series follows the 1985 double-murder of Derek Haysom former president and chairman of the Sydney Steel Corporation and his wife Nancy at their home in Virginia. Dave Irish has the story.

While working for MAGI, Derek Haysom was involved in the controversial purchase of a Bermuda-registeredcruise ship that was renamed the Mercator One.

The plan was to operate cruises out of Atlantic Canada in the summer months, and through the Caribbeanin the winter. But the purchase was a boondoggle from the start, with the boat losing money down south,and never once operating in Canada.

Questions about its financing were raised in the provincial legislature, setting off a scandal that contributed to theelectoral defeat of Premier Gerald Regan's Liberal government in 1978.

Mercator One wassold the following year for half of what it was originally purchased for, withtheprovincialgovernment estimatingitlost between $8 million and $9 millionon the venture.

After Derek Haysom retired in the 1980s, he and Nancy moved to Virginia. But theyremained connectedto the provinceand had a summer home near Lunenburg.

In an article published by the Globe and Mail shortly after the murders, neighbours on the South Shore said Derek Haysom was a nice guy with a special interest in carswho enjoyed driving his BMW. He had also gained some renown locally for his attempts to "produce a new strain of apple"on his property.

The article also quotedone of Derek Haysom'sformer Sysco colleagues, Harvey MacLeod, whoremembered him as an athleticfamily man who loved spending time with Nancyand his six children.

MacLeod called the murders "shocking"and questioned why anyone would have wanted to kill Derek Haysom.

In 2016,Elizabeth Haysom told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia that she was "profoundly ashamed" of her role in the crime.

After more than 30 years in prison,both she and Soeringwere released on parolein 2019and deported to their home countries of Canada and Germany, respectively.

Soeringcontinues to proclaim his innocence, claiming that he took the fall for his girlfriend. Elizabeth Haysom maintains she ordered himto carry out the murders.