GUILTY Canada - Renee Sweeney, 23, murdered, Sudbury, Ont, 27 Jan 1998 *arrest in 2018*

[JuneBug67]

The Sudbury Star posted an apology for publishing the wrong picture of Steven Wright. Oops! Sudbury Star correction and apology

Holy hell. That sounds like it actually went to PRINT! I saw the wrong photo yesterday in a Google news summary, and by then the story had been pulled. That’s a difficult mistake to understand a day after the guy appeared in court for the Sudbury Star to clearly see. It was obvious with some care who was who on his social media - and they still manage to post the wrong person. I think it was his brother, and the picture still appears on a google image search of Steven’s name. Ugh.

 

[JuneBug67]

It may have played out at the hospital because the hospital has a lockdown protocol in place. It'a done so quietly, that most people wouldn't know what is happening. Thirty minutes really isn't long to get in, make and arrest and get out. It's a huge hospital.

Funny story from our hospital: We had a situation in which a man in the waiting room was carrying a gun. The hospital went into lock down. Calmly and quickly, one by one, all the people in the waiting room, except the gun guy, were moved to safety, oblivious to the danger. The OPP contacted the closest officer to attend to the situation. When the local undercover police detective's phone rang, he didn't even realise that he was isolated in the hospital waiting room and that the hospital was in lock down. He was the gun guy.

Ha ha ha...that’s a great story!

A good theory on using the hospital as a controlled environment for arrest too.

 

[dotr]

Jan 17 2019
North Bay man accused in Sweeney killing returns to court Feb. 14 - BayToday.ca
"While there is a publication ban in place on the details of what was discussed Thursday, Wright will be back in court Feb. 14 for an update on his bail hearing, which begins Feb. 19."

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Crown Attorney's office has been successful in its effort to authorize a direct indictment for second-degree murder for the man accused of killing Renee Sweeney in Sudbury.

The Ministry of the Attorney General is allowing the direct indictment against Robert Steven Wright of North Bay, meaning there will be no preliminary hearing — originally scheduled for November — and the case will go directly to trial.

“When the defendant is subject to a direct indictment and deprived of a preliminary hearing, the defendant loses the right to argue that there is insufficient evidence for the matter to even go forward to trial,” said a release from Wright's lawyers, Berk Keaney, and Michael Venturi.

“Perhaps this is a good time to remember that, in our country, we have something called the presumption of innocence. When this case gets to trial, the jury will be instructed by the trial judge that Mr. Wright is presumed innocent and that the jury should not consider a verdict until they have heard all of the evidence.”
Crown secures direct indictment in Sweeney murder case, meaning it goes directly to trial - BayToday.ca

 

[Nina Michigan]

He looks just like the sketch and his DNA was at the scene. yep, I'll keep an open mind

What happened to Renee was horrific, cruel and unnecessary.

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
Straight to trial for Wright on lower murder charge in Sweeney case
Aug. 19th, 2019

Renee Sweeney( left) and a sketch built form the phenotype report from the Sweeney case. (Supplied by GSPS/ Parabon-NanoLabs)
"A North Bay man originally from Sudbury will stand trial for the second degree murder of Renee Sweeney.

Robert Steven Wright, 38, is being held without bail in Greater Sudbury, where Renee Sweeney was killed in 1998 after being repeatedly stabbed by her attacker in an adult video store where she worked. Wright was an 18-year-old Lockerby Composite School student in early 1998.

The Crown Attorney’s office had been seeking and received a direct indictment in the case. There will be no November preliminary hearing as previously scheduled and the charge was lowered from first degree murder. Intent to commit the crime would have to be proven for a first degree murder conviction."
"This case is under a publication ban preventing reporting on the details of the evidence presented at Wright’s bail hearing."

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about the legal developments in this case:

Charge against Renee Sweeney's accused killer downgraded to second-degree murder

 

[LadyL]

but he took a knife with him to the store so he planned on at least robbing her at knifepoint - maybe that's all they can prove or all he's admitted to
maybe he'll plead guilty

Here is another report about the legal developments in this case:

Charge against Renee Sweeney's accused killer downgraded to second-degree murder

 

[jaejae]

but he took a knife with him to the store so he planned on at least robbing her at knifepoint - maybe that's all they can prove or all he's admitted to
maybe he'll plead guilty

I agree with you that the crime looks to be premeditated and I have read that she received disturbing phone calls before the attack. I am assuming because the case is Canadian that investigative genetic genealogy was not used to identify him as a suspect even though ParaBon Labs had done a DNA phenotyping profile in the case. Thanks.

Here is a report which mentions the telephone calls she had received:

ONTARIO: 'Renée fought him, and fought him hard' - The history of the Sweeney murder case - ElliotLakeToday.com

Here is part of the above report about the case:

It appeared someone may have been harassing or stalking Sweeney in the weeks leading up to her death, investigators discovered.

“Renée had received a number of hang-up phone calls (at home) during the two weeks prior to her murder,” Toffoli said. “She had a different behaviour. She used to park her car at work on the opposite side of the parking lot, but it was a dark area of the parking lot. In the week prior to the murder, she changed the location of her parking, and she parked directly in front of the store, which she had never done before.

 

[Nina Michigan]

The problem with the murder "not being premeditated" is that he stabbed and beat her, then went to the restroom to wash up. Then he found that she'd crawled to the phone, so he finished her off.

He could have just walked away.

I have a lot of anger toward him.

 

[jaejae]

The problem with the murder "not being premeditated" is that he stabbed and beat her, then went to the restroom to wash up. Then he found that she'd crawled to the phone, so he finished her off.

He could have just walked away.

I have a lot of anger toward him.

I agree I have a lot of anger towards the offender but this accused man has not had a trial yet and his defence in Canada need to be made aware if ParaBon Labs in association with their genealogy scientist CeCe Moore or any other genetic genealogists were involved in this mans identification because to me it is an important part of the case.

 

[jaejae]

I agree I have a lot of anger towards the offender but this accused man has not had a trial yet and his defence in Canada need to be made aware if ParaBon Labs in association with their genealogy scientist CeCe Moore or any other genetic genealogists were involved in this mans identification because to me it is an important part of the case.

I have not read anything publicly to indicate that genetic genealogy was used to identify this possible suspect in the case but this was the first case outside of the US where DNA phenotyping of a suspect was used by ParaBon Labs and I remember seeing a live video link to one of Parabon Labs founders at the Press Conference to announce the use of DNA Phenotyping in the case:

New Snapshot Released In Renee Sweeney Murder Investigation - 92.7 Rock

New Snapshot Released In Renee Sweeney Murder Investigation - KiSS 105.3 Sudbury

 

[LadyL]

The problem with the murder "not being premeditated" is that he stabbed and beat her, then went to the restroom to wash up. Then he found that she'd crawled to the phone, so he finished her off.

He could have just walked away.

I have a lot of anger toward him.

good point!

 

[jaejae]

I have not read anything publicly to indicate that genetic genealogy was used to identify this possible suspect in the case but this was the first case outside of the US where DNA phenotyping of a suspect was used by ParaBon Labs and I remember seeing a live video link to one of Parabon Labs founders at the Press Conference to announce the use of DNA Phenotyping in the case:

New Snapshot Released In Renee Sweeney Murder Investigation - 92.7 Rock

New Snapshot Released In Renee Sweeney Murder Investigation - KiSS 105.3 Sudbury

Here is an update in the legal proceedings in this case. As I mentioned in the above post I think whether ParaBon Labs were involved in identifying the suspect is relevant to the defence in the legal proceedings in this case:

Judge reserves decision about lawyers in murder case

Here is part of the above report:

Wright was initially charged with first-degree murder, implying the killing was planned. However, the charge was later downgraded to second-degree murder.

At the same time, the Crown attorney’s office in Sudbury was successful in winning a direct indictment in the case, meaning Wright will go directly to trial, bypassing a preliminary hearing. A preliminary hearing determines if there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial on a charge or charges.

 

[Nina Michigan]

I'm pretty upset that they downgraded to second.

He attacked her, went to the restroom to "wash up" and returned to find her near the phone where he finished her off.

Sounds pretty f*&$%ng premeditated to me! (frustrated with the system, not your comment)

 

[alexia98]

The problem with the murder "not being premeditated" is that he stabbed and beat her, then went to the restroom to wash up. Then he found that she'd crawled to the phone, so he finished her off.

He could have just walked away.

I have a lot of anger toward him.

I don't understand the Crown's attorney.
I mean "murder not being premeditated"....it's utterly ridiculous.
Of course it was premeditated...he stabbed her then he noticed she was still alive so he stabbed the victim again.
This is premeditation to me

 

[jaejae]

I'm pretty upset that they downgraded to second.

He attacked her, went to the restroom to "wash up" and returned to find her near the phone where he finished her off.

Sounds pretty f*&$%ng premeditated to me! (frustrated with the system, not your comment)

Yes I am surprised that it is downgraded to a second degree murder and sounds like a first degree murder to me as there is even evidence that the killer stalked her to some degree before the crime with phone calls etc and the crime itself is first degree murder to me. The accused man is entitled to a fair trial though and in my opinion it needs to be made clear whether ParaBon Labs were involved with the DNA hit. If there were not they were not is they were it is relevant information to the mans defence. Just today in another Canadian case LE are looking at using investigative genetic genealogy.

 

[musicaljoke]

Yes I am surprised that it is downgraded to a second degree murder and sounds like a first degree murder to me as there is even evidence that the killer stalked her to some degree before the crime with phone calls etc and the crime itself is first degree murder to me. The accused man is entitled to a fair trial though and in my opinion it needs to be made clear whether ParaBon Labs were involved with the DNA hit. If there were not they were not is they were it is relevant information to the mans defence. Just today in another Canadian case LE are looking at using investigative genetic genealogy.

I haven't been keeping up with the legally allowable use of ParaBon Lab or other genetic genealogy evidence. Is it being contested in court? Is data gleaned from genetic genealogy absolutely not allowed as evidence in court, or is it simply being tested in law?

What is the other case of which you speak?

 

[jaejae]

I haven't been keeping up with the legally allowable use of ParaBon Lab or other genetic genealogy evidence. Is it being contested in court? Is data gleaned from genetic genealogy absolutely not allowed as evidence in court, or is it simply being tested in law?

What is the other case of which you speak?

Thanks for the post and interest. I am not going to 'clog' this thread up with the legal, scientific, and ethical factors surrounding investigative genetic genealogy as this as posters have said was a very horrible murder and whoever committed it deserves to be punished and taken off the streets and the victim and her family deserve justice for her robbed life. Just wanted to make the point that ParaBon Labs may have been involved because this was the first case out of the US where they used DNA Phenotyping. The science behind their DNA hits was not challenged by the Legal Team in a Washington State case. I have made my point I will not discuss it again on this thread because this thread is about the victim of a brutal murder who was brutally robbed of her life and deserves justice as do her family.. Here are details of the Canadian case where their LE indicate they intend to use investigative genealogy:

Toronto police looking for tips to solve 1998 homicide of pregnant woman

CANADA - Donna Oglive,24 (4 months pregnant)Toronto (Jarvis/Carlton)8 March 1998

DNA Solves Cold Cases/Parabon Nanolabs & GED/Match.

GUILTY - WA - Jay Cook, 20, & Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, Skagit County, 24 Nov 1987

 

[Tighthead]

Not to defend this guy, but proving first degree to our standard would be difficult.

By choosing the rare tactic of a direct indictment, the Crown loses their ability or flesh out their case in a prelim.