CANADA Canada- Nick Gournis, 50, arcade owner, 2 robbers beat him to death with a baseball bat, Xmas Eve, Toronto (East York), 31/12/88, *DNA*

[dotr]

Sep 11, '24

Cold case unit hopes to soon solve the 1988 murder of an East York arcade owner

After more than 30 years, Toronto police say they are now close to solving the murder of an East York arcade owner who was brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat on Christmas Eve, 1988.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

''After more than 30 years, Toronto police say they are now close to solving the murder of an East York arcade owner who was brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat on Christmas Eve, 1988.

Police previously said 50-year-old Nick Gournis was working late at the arcade he owned and operated on Kingston Road, near Victoria Park Avenue, when two robbers entered the business and attacked him.

“We believe that between about 10 p.m. and midnight that two people had actually entered his premises and proceeded to try to rob him and unfortunately, it looks like they resorted to extreme violence in order to exact their toll,” Det. Sgt. Steve Smith told CP24.com on Wednesday.''

Cold case unit hopes to soon solve the 1988 murder of an East York arcade owner

After more than 30 years, Toronto police say they are now close to solving the murder of an East York arcade owner who was brutally beaten to death with a baseball bat on Christmas Eve, 1988.

www.cp24.com

Now decades later, thanks to advancements in technology, Smith said the cold case unit is in the process of putting together an offender profile based on DNA found at the scene.
“A lot of these older cases… DNA wasn't really a thing back then, and if it was, you needed large portions of DNA to develop a profile,” Smith said.
“There's a lot of cases that we can go back to and utilize evidence that was at the scene to develop profiles of the offender.”
He added that police who previously investigated the homicide already put together a solid list of persons of interest.

 

[dotr]

Sep 11 '24 rbbm

HUNTER: Toronto cops close to arrest in bloody cold-case murder of arcade owner?

There are the homicides that define a great city, forever seared into our collective memories.

torontosun.com

“We’re going over Mr. Gournis’ case top to bottom and resubmitting the evidence for testing,” Toronto Police cold-case unit boss Det. Sgt. Steve Smith told the Toronto Sun. “We believe the killer is residing in the GTA. It’s only a matter of time now.”

And if the veteran detective sounds confident, he should. Smith and his unit have earned a North American-wide rep for knocking down long-unsolved cases.
Nick Gournis was a hard-working 50-year-old Greek immigrant who had become prosperous through his video arcade. An endless stream of quarters and tireless work ethic allowed him to prosper and provide a good life for his wife and two daughters.''

''Cops were keen to talk to a trio of young men aged 18 to 20 seen hanging around outside the arcade between 10 p.m. and midnight. Two of the trio were white, the other Black.''
“New information, including an offender profile and forensics, has emerged that may finally bring some sense of closure — and justice — to Mr. Gournis’ family,” the detective said.