12/8/2005
Still no justice for Christine Jessop or Guy Paul Morin
Finally, I have a few minutes to write about something that's been bugging me for a long time: The sad saga of Christine Jessop and Guy Paul Morin.
Jessop, only nine years old, was murdered in 1984. Her next door neighbour, Morin, was charged with the murder. A first trial resulted in acquittal but this was overturned on a technicality (unfortunately in Canada, double jeopardy is allowed). A second trial resulted in a conviction, but this was quashed when DNA evidence cleared Morin's good name.
Between the first and second trials, evidence emerged that Jessop's innocence had been stolen from her as young as the age of four by three older boys, one of whom was her own brother Ken. His stunning last minute admission that he had raped his own sister just weeks before the second trial almost torpedoed it. A new autopsy also showed that she had struggled incredibly against the brute who kidnapped, raped and murdered her -- perhaps as much as a half hour.
While both of these were introduced at the second trial, other key evidence was purposely withheld from the defence (with the judge's consent) as was the testimony of potential witnesses who would have provided Morin with a reliable alibi. (The incredible saga is related in Kirk Makin's detailed book Redrum the Innocent, currently out of print but available at many libraries or second-hand.)
Why am I so bothered by all this? No, I don't know any of the parties personally. But next month will mark eleven years since Morin was exonerated. To this point, no new arrests have been made, it remains as cold a case as any. It's not just the Morins that had to put up with the indignity of being falsely accused. So too were the Jessops who not only lost Christine and were also accused of (but never charged with) murdering their own daughter and sister, but were also bullied by the cops to perjure themselves under oath to make sure Morin's alibi -- flimsy as it was -- couldn't stick.
There are many cases that are still unresolved. This one stands out for me. Unlike Marshall, Milgaard and Sophonow, each of whom finally got justice when the real killers were found, the culprit here is still out there and probably still alive. And what's the most infuriating is that he was laughing his head off while not one but two totally innocent families got dragged through the mud. Still is, in fact, thinking he'll never get caught.
This case more than any is why I support a DNA database that encompasses both people convicted of crimes as well as those accused but later acquitted. Given the kind of profile a creep of this nature has, I'm sure he has offended before and probably has since then. A match could get a warrant and / or arrest within minutes if only a system was in place to make those cross-references.
In the meantime, he's also probably engaged in pillowtalk. If any woman -- or man -- within the sound of this got that talk, do the right thing and come forward. You don't have to give your name, just call your local Crimestoppers or another anonymous tip line. Twenty-two years is twenty-two years too long.
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