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Guy Paul Morin

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Guy Paul Morin is a Canadian who was wrongly convicted of the October 1984 rape and murder of his nine-year-old next-door neighbour, Christine Jessop of Queensville, north of Toronto, Ontario. DNA testing led to a subsequent overturning of this verdict. As of 2014, no one else has been charged with Jessop's murder.[1]

Murder of Christine Jessop

On October 3, 1984, Jessop was dropped off at her home from her school bus with both of her parents out.[1] She was last seen by the owner of a nearby convenience store where she had gone to buy bubble gum. Her body was discovered on December 31, nearly three months later. She had been sexually assaulted and murdered.[2]

Trials

Morin was arrested for Jessop's murder in April 1985.[2] He was acquitted at his first trial in 1986.[3] The Crown exercised its right to appeal the verdict on the grounds that the trial judge made a fundamental error prejudicing the Crown's right to a fair trial.[4] In 1987 the Court of Appeal ordered a new trial.[5] The retrial was delayed until 1992 by Morin's own appeals based on the Crown's non-disclosure of exculpatory evidence and by other issues, including the double jeopardy rule.[5]

Morin was convicted at his second trial and was sentenced to life imprisonment.[6] Unlike others convicted of murdering children after sexually abusing them, he was kept in the general population throughout his time in prison.[7] Up until his release, he was held at Kingston Penitentiary.[7]

Acquittal and aftermath

Improvements in DNA testing led to a test in 1995 which excluded Morin as the murderer.[8] Morin's appeal of his conviction was allowed (i.e., the conviction was reversed), and a directed verdict of acquittal entered in the appeal.[5]

An inquiry culminating in the Kaufman Report into Morin's case also uncovered evidence of police and prosecutorial misconduct, and of misrepresentation of forensic evidence by the Ontario Centre of Forensic Sciences.[5][9] Morin received $1.25 million in compensation from the Ontario government.[10]

Christine Jessop’s murderer is still unknown.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Rush, Curtis (August 15, 2012). "For Janet Jessop, October is a time to mourn murdered daughter Christine all over again".
  2. ^ a b "Cold Cases: Christine Jessop, Queensville, Ont. (1984)". CBC Digital Archives. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Appeal planned". Montreal Gazette. March 6, 1986. p. B–1. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  4. ^ "Crown to appeal Morin's acquittal". Ottawa Citizen. March 6, 1986. p. A–12. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d King, Jack (August 1988). "The Ordeal of Guy Paul Morin: Canada Copes With Systemic Injustice". Champion Magazine. National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Canadian Cases Of Wrongful Conviction". CityNews. Rogers Broadcasting. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b Nolan, Dan (October 28, 1997). "Morin feared for his life: Jailers rejected isolation". The Spectator. Hamilton, Ontario. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  8. ^ Farnsworth, Clyde H. (April 11, 1995). "Queensville Journal; Jailed in Killing, He's Guilty Only of Being a Misfit". The New York Times. p. 4. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Morin inquiry slams investigation". CBC.ca. November 13, 1998. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/guy-paul-morin-case/. Retrieved February 26, 2016. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)