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ATIF RAFAY AND SEBASTIAN BURNS =
n.1994, two friends from a Vancouver high school—Atif Rafay and Sebastian someone had deliberately worked to make it look like a break-in had taken place. ‘
_Burns—were accused of murdering Rafay’s family. The Rafay family consisted Other aspects police found odd was Atif’s calm manner, and also his mention of his j

of mother Sultana, a nutritionist, father Tariq, an engineer, and their disabled Walkman and VCR being stolen.
daughter Basma, and Atif—their teenage son. After returning to Canada, the RCMP conducted an operation known as

The story begins with Rafay’s parents moving from Vancouver to Bellevue, the “Mr. Big” technique, in which they would try to get the boys to confesstothe
Washington. During his breaks from school, Atif would often visit his family. murders. They posed as gangsters who were trying to help the pair by receiving
During summer vacation, Atif and his friend Sebastian took a bus to visit Atif’s their confession in exchange of helping them clear their names. The sting proved
family home in Washington. A weekend of friends visiting family appeared successful in that it got the boys to confess, but many question the validity of their
seemingly innocent, until the night of July 12. ; é e confessions. In US at the time, the “Mr. Big” technique was illegal—yet it was still |

Atif and Sebastian went out that night to get dinner and see a movie. They legal in Canada. The confessions, plus some newfound DNA, were enough to take =]
came home in the wee hours of the morning, only to discover that Atif’s parents Burns and Rafay to court.
had been bludgeoned to death, and that his sister was critically injured. His sister After years of legal battles and court hearings, the two were found guilty of
died soon after the assault. Sebastian called gu at 2 am to report the incident, and three counts of murder. They were given three consecutive life sentences withno i
then the two waited outside for police. When police arrived on the scene, they had chance of parole. Many doubt the court’s guilty verdict considering that the boy’s H
their suspicions that this was more than just a break-in gone wrong. The RCMP confession was obtained under false pretences. The boys have also maintained their
looked to the two young men, thinking that they murdered the Rafay family forthe innocence throughout their incarceration. Some believe that the murder was done
inheritance money. by a religious group, since Rafay’s mother’s body was found with a shaw] over her ‘is

The night of the murders, the duo had gone out to get dinner, to watch The head facing the East—which has a religious connotation. \ P
Lion King at the local cinema, and to check out a Seattle club. Despite them having The pair's case have also caught the attention of three innocence projects,
alibis, the police still suspected their involvement. Investigators found that whoever according to the CBC. The Netflix series, The Confession Tapes also reports on this \

faa had committed the murders had also showered before they left the scene. It was story and goes more into detail about the case in their two-part episode. As of 2018, ;

also found that the crime scene seemed to bea staged break-in, meaning that both have exhausted their appeals. : ]