To much of the world, he was known as an alleged neo-Nazi.
But here in town, he was a well-known climber who began venturing up to Squamish around 2010 to get his first taste of real rock.
He would later become a fixture in climbing areas and in online forums where he would frequently discuss climbing — in a number of cases, somewhat abrasively — while mentioning interests such as veganism, chess and even an aspiration to start up a coffee shop.
And, at least publicly, his views were not those of a white supremacist. In fact, archives of old comments of the man known locally as Jesse James show he advocated for more minorities represented in the sport of climbing.
They also revealed that James was not his true name. Legally, he was known as Davis Wolfgang Hawke.
Officers said he was shot dead and his burned remains were found on June 14, 2017 in a 2000 red GMC Yukon XL. The vehicle was on the Cheekye Forest Service Road.
After news of Hawke's identification became public, social media commenters and media outlets quickly linked him to a person with the same name and age who had gained notoriety for starting a neo-Nazi group and spreading hate-filled ideologies online.
In a more bizarre twist, past media reports, such as those from Rolling Stone, the Washington Post and the Southern Poverty Law Center, identified his birth name as Andrew Britt Greenbaum. The alleged neo-Nazi had a Jewish father.
Another point of interest was how he made his money. He acquired a large sum of cash as a propagator of spam for penis enlargements, which would eventually lead internet provider AOL to successfully target him in court in a $12.8-million lawsuit.
While there has been no official confirmation from homicide investigators that the spam Nazi described in these past reports is the same Davis Wolfgang Hawke that many knew around town, Squamish RCMP told The Chief they suspect this to be the case.
"I believe they are one [and] the same," wrote Sgt. Sascha Banks to The Chief.
But a founding member of the Vancouver Rock Climbing Group, Joseph Wong, told The Chief he'll wait until he hears an official confirmation from investigators to believe the two men are one and the same.
In Wong's experience, Hawke was not a Nazi, but rather a cheerful, positive person who he met at Cliffhanger around 2010, around the time when that was the sole climbing gym in the city.
Wong still remembers Hawke as a relatively green outdoor climber who needed pointers in setting up anchors. But Hawke progressed quickly.
He paid top dollar for instruction from a highly-regarded guide and spared no expense on climbing gear.
Wong said Hawke would eventually become very accomplished, climbing at high levels and pulling off free solos on slab climbs.
"He's very generous and we have a very pleasant time, he's a really community- oriented climber, very supportive of other people, willing to set up the rope for other people," Wong said.
Hawke helped organize a Vancouver Rock Climbing Group trip to Squamish, and, eventually, he moved on to start his own Facebook group, "Squamish Climbing" — not to be confused with the 15,000-member "Squamish Rock Climbing" that has since become the dominant group.
There was no indication that Hawke had any inclinations toward white supremacy, Wong said.
However, Hawke was a very private person, and there weren't a lot of details about his personal life that Wong knew of.
There were a few things that stood out, though.
Wong said Hawke told him he had written a book on seduction — it's still listed on Amazon.com — and, judging by the amount of money Hawke spent on gear and hiring a guide, Wong figured he came from money.
Hawke was living the vanlife long before it was a trend, Wong said.
"Vanlife now is glamorous. [But] back in the day, it was really pioneering that someone was living in a truck," he said.
Hawke would sleep in the cab of his truck with his girlfriend, Wong said.
Wong acknowledged that Hawke's online persona didn't match the positive personality he knew in person.
Hawke had a penchant for "flaming" people on forums, but it never took a racial turn.
"I think sometimes he would start some arguments or start some flames...to state something very controversial about climbing," said Wong.
"And I don't know whether he did it for fun...but he never [said] anything nasty or racist."
In fact, at least publicly in Squamish, remarks Hawke made in 2017 show him calling out a prominent outdoor brand for failing to sponsor minorities.
"There are tons of super-strong minority climbers, far stronger than some of the assholes that [this company] sponsors," Hawke wrote. "They simply choose not to sponsor one single minority climber despite the abundance of such climbers. Instead, looking at their athletes' page, they want young, buff white dudes and gals as the face of [that company.] For them, it seems appearance even takes precedence over both climbing ability and personality."
At the time, he also lamented the lack of representation of minority and disabled athletes featured in climbing publications.
"He is really a man of mystery," said Wong.
While Wong's experiences with Hawke were generally positive, not everyone felt the same way.
Some online commenters have spoken of Hawke as a man who raised red flags. However, none were willing to speak about it on the record to The Chief.
As one commenter put it: "The dude was a Nazi scammer shot dead and burned. I would prefer to maintain distance."
Another question that many have asked would be how a neo-Nazi would be able to hop the border and live a completely new life in Canada.
Easily, is the way one SFU criminology professor put it.
Robert Gordon said at the time Hawke likely headed north, border guards were probably screening for signs of terrorism, but little else.
Gordon said it's entirely plausible for a person to show up with rock climbing gear at the border, announce that they'd like to climb the Stawamus Chief, and be let through promptly.
And in some cases, there's no need to interact with border guards at all, he said.
Gordon added that there are a number of forested areas with trails where crossing the border can take place with no alert to authority whatsoever.
This may have changed with COVID-19, he said, but back then it probably wouldn't be hard for anyone to pull off.
Assuming he didn't publicize his past exploits, fitting into a new life in Canada wouldn't have been difficult, Gordon said.
"If you drop the label neo-Nazi and just see him as being an outdoorsy kind of guy, who may or may have not had connections to undesirable political groups on the margins, then it's no mystery [how he fit in]," he said.
Police have not stated a motive in Hawke's killing and are asking the public for tips.
Hawke's father Hyman Greenbaum is offering a $10,000 reward to help solve his son's murder.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448), or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
