Circumstances
Wayne Millard, 71, had just begun massive construction on the largest hangar at the Waterloo International Airport where he planned to relocate Millardair MRO – an aircraft maintenance and services business – he owned and was president of in 2012. That all came to an end when his son, Dellen Millard, found his dead body in his Etobicoke on November 29, 2012.
That day, police received a call from Wayne’s ex-wife and Dellen Millard’s mother, Madeleine Burns, who reported that “her husband had passed away” and “there was blood all over.” Both Millard and Burns were on the scene when police and paramedics arrived at the residence. Paramedics would later testify that Millard seemed very calm.
Wayne was found lying on his side on his bed with his right arm underneath his head and his left arm outstretched. His head rested on a bloodied pillow with curious black, sooty marks on it. The coroner would later find a gun inside a Lululemon bag wedged between the bed and the dresser. Although the gun was the one that took Wayne’s life, there was no way the dead man could have put it there, proving someone else moved the gun after his death.
Wayne’s death was ruled a suicide with cause of death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound through the eye. Experts agree that it is very rare for people to choose the eye as the spot to pull the trigger in suicide cases.
MillardAir & Three Generations of Pilots
Wayne’s father, Carl, founded MillardAir in the 1960s as a charter airline flying out of Toronto Pearson International Airport. By 1990, the airline had gone bankrupt and was transformed into an aircraft maintenance/services business.
Wayne became president of the company in 2006 after the death of his father, and in 2012, was on the cusp of rebuilding MillardAir as a new company when he died.
Previously an airline pilot, Wayne married Madeleine Burns, a flight attendant for Air Canada, and they had one son together, Dellen Millard. Millard had a privileged upbringing and, at 14, became the youngest person to pilot a helicopter and airplane on the same day.
After Wayne and Madeleine divorced, she moved to Kleinburg. Millard would later say his parents’ divorce was emotionally devastating to him.
Before his death, Wayne had begun a relationship with a woman named Janet Campbell, who would later testify that although Wayne suffered from back pain, he was excited about his burgeoning business and not depressed.
Tim Bosma & Laura Babcock
Before Wayne’s death, 25-year-old Laura Babcock had gone missing in July. Babcock was a former girlfriend of Dellen Millard’s. Then on May 6, 2013, Tim Bosma went missing after accompanying two men to test drive a truck he was selling.
Dellen Millard and his accomplice, Mark Smich, were arrested, tried and convicted of the first-degree murder of Tim Bosma. Investigators then decided to reopen the case of Wayne’s death, as well as the disappearance of Laura Babcock.
In 2017, Millard and Smich were both convicted of the first-degree murder of Laura Babcock and sentenced to another 25 years on top of the 25 years they were already serving for the murder of Tim Bosma.
Dellen Millard was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his father, Wayne Millard, on September 24, 2018. He was sentenced to his third life term without the possibility of parole for 25 years to be served consecutively. He will not be eligible for parole for 75 years.
About
Name: Wayne Millard
Age: 71
Place of Murder: Etobicoke, Ontario
Date of Murder: November 29, 2012
Murderer: Dellen Millard, his son
Cause of Death: Gunshot wound
Dellen Millard flying with his father, Wayne.
Dellen shows off his flying awards with his grandfather.
Wayne Millard.
The bag where the gun was found. (Evidence Photo)
Three generations of Millards: Wayne, Dellen, and Carl.
Wayne Millard, the pilot.
Wayne Millard’s den. (Evidence Photo)
The gun used to kill Wayne Millard. (Evidence Photo)
WAYNE C. MILLARD
Obituary (written by Dellen Millard)
Wayne C. Millard has passed. He is survived by son Dellen Millard. For those who wish to gather in fond memory of Wayne, there will be a reception from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 15, 2012 at Vinsanto Ristorante, 28 Roytec Road, Vaughan, ON. What few words could make comment here… His hope was for a time when cooperation would be the norm and competition was only friendly. He was frugal with himself and generous to others. The only people he feared were racists. He would answer a question with a story. He stepped carefully while advocating carefreeness. He could read and write five languages. He was patient and stubborn. He admired Christ, Gandhi and Lindbergh. He believed animal welfare was a humanitarian effort. He was a good man in a careless world. He was my father. A Master Pilot… Many who knew Wayne Millard, knew him as a pilot. Rightfully so, as he defined himself by the responsibilities of the trade. I now carry his pilot’s license in my wallet. It’s a good photo. Beside it are noted the type certificates he held. It’s a long list from B747s and B757s, to DC3s and L101s, to BH47s and HU500s. For Father piloting wasn’t just his job, it was his freedom. A Humanitarian… Wayne supported, organized, and helped fund many missions on behalf of animal welfare. Sponsor a Dog, the Canadian Flora & Fauna Society, Canadian Wildlife Film Productions, the Sea Shepherd Society and the Toronto Humane Society, only to name a few. He saw a future for mankind where we do not pollute our environment or subjugate animal lives to our industry. He was a man of vision. Yet To Be Realized… His last, still unlaunched, animal welfare mission is accepting donations to the ‘Elizabeth Glass Animal Welfare Fund’, 5 Maple Gate Court, Etobicoke, ON M9C 2K4. He believed we can make a difference in the world. With Wayne in my heart, I believe we must.