World News – CA – 36 Years Later: Toronto Police Identify Man Responsible For Rape And Murder Of 9-Year-Old Girl

Toronto police say cutting edge DNA analysis technology not yet used in Canada led them to solve a cold 36-year-old case involving the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl north of Toronto

In October On December 3, 1984, Christine Jessop went missing from her home in Queensville, Ontario in York Region just west of Highway 404

« She has been described as a girl who loved life – family, schools and sports, » Toronto Police Chief Jim Ramer said Thursday.

Jessop’s body was found with multiple stab wounds on New Years Eve 1984 in Sunderland, Ontario

Guy Paul Morin, Jessop’s neighbor, was tried twice, convicted and finally exonerated of Jessop’s murder, spending two years in detention between 1986 and 1995

A semen sample taken from Jessop’s underwear, which investigators were only able to test years later thanks to advances in forensic technology, did not match Morin’s DNA

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Morin expressed relief that the police had finally resolved the case and said he hoped it would give « some peace of mind » to Jessop’s family, who is going through « A terrible ordeal for 36 years »

« I am grateful that the Toronto Police stayed on the case and finally resolved it When DNA cleared me in January 1995, I was sure that one day DNA would reveal the real killer and now it is, ”he said. « Christine’s murder was a terrible and tragic event Under the circumstances, this is the only statement I will make »

Morin’s release sparked a lengthy investigation into police techniques during the initial homicide investigation and the case remains one of the best-known examples of wrongful conviction in Canada

The Ontario government finally paid Morin $ 1 million in compensation for his wrongful conviction and jail

That same semen sample used to rule out Morin as a suspect was eventually re-analyzed within the past year, using a form of DNA analysis used by US law enforcement but not yet available to labs in Canada

Although this did not give immediate correspondence to anyone connected to the case, Ramer said Toronto Cold Case Squad police officers have asked the Americans to run the DNA through a new mode of analysis. known as genetic genealogy, which develops an entire family tree of individuals, rather than a single match

Superintendent of Personnel Peter Code said the sperm sample linked to two « families », and in both they identified a man who was reported during the initial investigation in 1984 as known to the family. Jessop

« If he was alive today, the TPS would arrest Calvin Hoover for the death of Christine Jessop, » Ramer said of Hoover, who died in 2015

« Our investigators met Christine’s mother this morning and continue to be with her at this time, » Ramer said

Ramer said a review of the original 1984 investigation files revealed that Hoover’s name emerged as a person of interest

« He and his wife had a close relationship with the family, » Ramer said. « He may have worked with Jessop’s father »

Hoover had a dated criminal record, but Ramer and Code said it had nothing to do with the Jessop case

The sample generated dozens of names in two families, and investigators had to spend a considerable amount of time working on each name

The Ontario Center of Forensic Sciences also received a blood sample from Hoover, solidifying the link between his DNA and Jessop’s sample with a positive match

Even though he’s long gone, Ramer said they were interested in what Hoover did between 1984 and his death, calling on everyone who knew him to come forward.

Over the uninterrupted years of the case, Jessop’s brother Ken said the glimmer of hope that it would be resolved had faded a bit.

« You continue to hold out for 36 years, and something is going to happen They are going to break it »

This is why he hasn’t fully addressed the news that his sister’s killer has been identified.The Jessop family finally got the phone call they’ve been waiting for years on Thursday morning

« I feel more how important it is for my mom to have closure She is getting older and she started to believe that she never had the answer And this is the most wonderful news we could ever have » , Ken said in an interview with CTV News Toronto

Hearing Hoover’s name Ken said he was stunned then got angry then tears came

« I went through all the stages of mourning in about 20 minutes, » Ken said « And then, acceptance »

Although he does not remember Hoover, Ken, who was 14 at the time, said he remembers reuniting with their family

Before Jessop went missing, he said his mother made three calls and one of them was for Hoover’s wife to inform her that Jessop was having a temper tantrum because she wasn’t allowed to see her father in prison

« It must have been someone who knew my dad was in jail and was using the I’ll take you to see your dad pickup line, » Ken recalls

While it is not easy to learn that a family friend was behind the murder, he said his mother was relieved that the answers she had prayed for were finally answered

Ken noted that he and his mother, who now live in Niagara Falls, made their first visit to the grave together for the first time in 30 years two weeks ago

Meanwhile, when asked what his message to Morin was, Ken said he was happy to have finally removed the last doubt from the public’s mind.

« He can live his life without having to look over his shoulder, » said Ken « I’m happy for him And I’m so happy for the police they never gave up »

Calvin Hoover, believed to be responsible for the death of 9-year-old Christine Jessop, in 1984, is pictured in an image taken in 1996

Calvin Hoover, Guy Paul Morin, calvin hoover toronto, calvin hoover christine jessop