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

[musicaljoke]

Young man fled murder scene in a hurry, witness tells Sudbury jury

Taillifer is one of about 40 witnesses the Crown expects to call over the next six weeks.

“He was holding, clutching a bluish-green bag under his left arm. His right hand was holding (it) underneath,” continued Taillefer. “He had just a T-shirt. All I saw was the white T-shirt.”

Asked if she saw the male’s face, Taillefer said she did.

“He had very short hair,” she said. “He looked frightened. His eyes were wide, bulging, when he faced me.”

Taillefer added that the male also wore glasses and was neither thin nor fat.

“His hair was really short, like prisoner’s hair,” she said. “You couldn’t tell the colour of his hair. It was so short.”

Taillefer said that moments after the male ran by her, she noticed a man and woman coming out of the adult video store and asked them if they were looking for the young male.

“I thought he probably stole her purse and that’s why he was running,” she said.

 

[Gina20]

Plenty of surprises already at Wright’s second-degree murder trial

After just one week, there have already been some major developments in the second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Images of Renee and the crime scene.

Two things stand out:

The first was before she did the regular bank deposit, just after 9:30 a.m.

The second conversation took place an hour later as she bragged to Nurmi about making a sale so early in her shift. The sale totalled $89 and included two expensive magazines – called ‘Puritan’ – and two sex toys.

And:

Sweeney was stabbed to death sometime between 11 and 11:30 that morning. It emerged at trial that $178.25 was taken from the cashbox, along with three copies of the Puritan magazine.

 

[Gina20]

Plenty of surprises already at Wright’s second-degree murder trial

After just one week, there have already been some major developments in the second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Images of Renee and the crime scene.

Two things stand out:

The first was before she did the regular bank deposit, just after 9:30 a.m.

The second conversation took place an hour later as she bragged to Nurmi about making a sale so early in her shift. The sale totalled $89 and included two expensive magazines – called ‘Puritan’ – and two sex toys.

And:

Sweeney was stabbed to death sometime between 11 and 11:30 that morning. It emerged at trial that $178.25 was taken from the cashbox, along with three copies of the Puritan magazine.

Speculation here: I believe the first sale of the day was made to Renee's killer. The money stolen, $178.25, would be the float of $100, plus $89 for the first sale of the day, less $11 change, give or take $0.25. The killer could have watched to make sure the coast was clear before he returned. By then he knew where the copies of the magazine were stashed.The magazines don't seem to be random items. Rather, these were costly items, kept in a safe place behind the counter. The murderer took his own money back and more, IMO.

 

[JerseyGirl]

From link above:

The trial is expected to last a total of six weeks and will resume Monday, where CTV News' coverage will continue.

 

[Gina20]

Mulling it over again, I've been wondering if Renee's killer would have taken the time, in the midst of a murder, to carefully count out exactly double the amount of the first sale of the day ($178.00), plus $.25. If he did, then this is further confirmation, IMO, that he knew the amount of the first sale, and was the first and only customer paying customer of the day.

This kind of attention to detail would have made the extra two bits intentional. Obviously, it would have been difficult to carry all the change from the cash drawer when fleeing the scene on foot, through the snow. Surely it wasn't a miscount of the float. Surely a coin didn't roll under the counter during the morning cash count. Renee closed the store the night before and opened it that morning. The scene was examined very closely. Was it enough for a call from a phone booth, back when such things existed?

In any case, I do not consider the purchase of two copies of "Puritan" magazine, plus the later theft of three more copies of the same specialty magazine to be coincidental.

 

[dotr]

If robbery was the main goal, why did Renee receive weird calls prior to her murder, why did the perp stab her at least 30 times?!
2018 rbbm

'Renée fought him, and fought him hard': The history of the Sweeney murder case

A man who was an 18-year-old Lockerby Composite School student at the time of the murder has been arrested, nearly 21 years after Renée Sweeney's death

www.sudbury.com

''On Tuesday, Jan. 27, 1998, at 11 a.m., 23-year-old Renée Sweeney, a fourth-year Laurentian University student, was working at Adults Only Video on Paris Street when she was stabbed to death.

Cash and other items were missing from the store. A short distance from the scene, the suspect abandoned a lightweight jacket and white cotton gloves, which were located by a police dog.

The suspect, at the time believed to be a white man in his early 20s, left his DNA on Renée's body, as well as on a jacket he discarded after the murder.

He stabbed her at least 30 times, and went to the washroom to clean up, thinking he'd killed her. He was wrong.

Sweeney, somehow, made it to the telephone, and that's when her killer came out of the washroom, found her behind the counter, where police think he killed her.

“Renée fought him, and fought him hard,” Sgt. David Toffoli of the Greater Sudbury Police Service, then the lead investigator on the case, told Northern Life in 2010.

He explained that DNA under the young woman’s fingernails indicated she had scratched the killer several times. As the killer was fully clothed, except for his face and neck, the scratches would have likely been visible.

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. ''

 

[Gina20]

If robbery was the main goal, why did Renee receive weird calls prior to her murder, why did the perp stab her at least 30 times?!
2018 rbbm

'Renée fought him, and fought him hard': The history of the Sweeney murder case

A man who was an 18-year-old Lockerby Composite School student at the time of the murder has been arrested, nearly 21 years after Renée Sweeney's death

www.sudbury.com

''On Tuesday, Jan. 27, 1998, at 11 a.m., 23-year-old Renée Sweeney, a fourth-year Laurentian University student, was working at Adults Only Video on Paris Street when she was stabbed to death.

Cash and other items were missing from the store. A short distance from the scene, the suspect abandoned a lightweight jacket and white cotton gloves, which were located by a police dog.

The suspect, at the time believed to be a white man in his early 20s, left his DNA on Renée's body, as well as on a jacket he discarded after the murder.

He stabbed her at least 30 times, and went to the washroom to clean up, thinking he'd killed her. He was wrong.

Sweeney, somehow, made it to the telephone, and that's when her killer came out of the washroom, found her behind the counter, where police think he killed her.

“Renée fought him, and fought him hard,” Sgt. David Toffoli of the Greater Sudbury Police Service, then the lead investigator on the case, told Northern Life in 2010.

He explained that DNA under the young woman’s fingernails indicated she had scratched the killer several times. As the killer was fully clothed, except for his face and neck, the scratches would have likely been visible.

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. ''

I don't think robbery was the motive. I think some clues can be found in what was stolen: three copies of a specific niche magazine called "Puritan", two copies of which were purchased by a customer earlier in the morning, and 25¢, also known as two bits. I see this as some kind of moralistic killing, in the eyes of the murderer.

Also, the person seen fleeing the scene was wearing a clean white T-shirt. This would indicate premeditation, as there is no way a white T-shirt would have been clean after a brutal murder. The perp washed up and changed before leaving the scene. White is the color of purity.

I'm sure others will join in on this.

 

[Gina20]

I don't think robbery was the motive. I think some clues can be found in what was stolen: three copies of a specific niche magazine called "Puritan", two copies of which were purchased by a customer earlier in the morning, and 25¢, also known as two bits. I see this as some kind of moralistic killing, in the eyes of the murderer.

Also, the person seen fleeing the scene was wearing a clean white T-shirt. This would indicate premeditation, as there is no way a white T-shirt would have been clean after a brutal murder. The perp washed up and changed before leaving the scene. White is the color of purity.

I'm sure others will join in on this.

The diaper pin is also curious. Innocence?

 

[dotr]

The diaper pin is also curious. Innocence?

Well there is this..

The Man Who Loved Safety Pins

The extraordinary case of a man with temporal lobe seizures and a fetish triggered by safety pins—and how both were cured by brain surgery.

www.psychologytoday.com

 

[Gina20]

Well there is this..

The Man Who Loved Safety Pins

The extraordinary case of a man with temporal lobe seizures and a fetish triggered by safety pins—and how both were cured by brain surgery.

www.psychologytoday.com

Also ref. Piquerism. We don't know if the safety pin was used in the attack.

Piquerism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[musicaljoke]

I don't think robbery was the motive. I think some clues can be found in what was stolen: three copies of a specific niche magazine called "Puritan", two copies of which were purchased by a customer earlier in the morning, and 25¢, also known as two bits. I see this as some kind of moralistic killing, in the eyes of the murderer.

Also, the person seen fleeing the scene was wearing a clean white T-shirt. This would indicate premeditation, as there is no way a white T-shirt would have been clean after a brutal murder. The perp washed up and changed before leaving the scene. White is the color of purity.

I'm sure others will join in on this.

Do we know that the shirt was clean? I"ve seen it described as a white shirt, but not the specific detail that it was clean.

 

[dotr]

Feb 24 2023

Plenty of surprises already at Wright’s second-degree murder trial

After just one week, there have already been some major developments in the second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

''She said he was wearing just a white T-shirt with a blue or greenish bag tucked under his left arm, with his right hand helping secure the bag as he ran.

He looked at her, turned the corner of the bagel shop and headed right on Paris Street. She testified that he had short hair – almost a shaved head – was wearing glasses and she thought he was wearing jeans, but wasn’t sure.''

Wright will testify in own defense at Sweeney trial

Defense says the man accused of the 1998 killing of Renée Sweeney will testify to being at the scene of the crime on the day of the murder

www.baytoday.ca

''In his opening statement, Ludgate stated that Sweeney tried to fight, evidenced by a deep defensive wound on her left hand that severed the tendons. She had 30 injuries, said Ludgate, in the chest, abdomen, upper back, shoulder, and neck, among others. He said she was incapacitated by these injuries, and those to her carotid artery and jugular vein, which left her unable to call for help or even leave the store.

“She bled to death on the floor,” said Ludgate.

He said that DNA found under Renée Sweeney's fingernails and fingerprints in her blood matched that of Steven Wright. He said during his opening statement that DNA found on a jacket and a pair of blood-soaked gloves discovered not far from the video store where Sweeney was stabbed to death match items owned by members of Wright's family. ''

 

[Gina20]

Do we know that the shirt was clean? I"ve seen it described as a white shirt, but not the specific detail that it was clean.

“(Did the police) ask you whether this person had blood on them?”

Taillefer replied she didn’t see any blood on him or any scratches on his face – adding that she only got a good look at one side of his face.

“I didn’t see any blood,’ she said.

Witness testifies she saw young man running from video store morning of the Sweeney murder

A woman who got coffee at a nearby shop the morning Renee Sweeney was murdered testified Thursday that she saw a young man running “really fast” carrying a bag under his left arm.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

 

[musicaljoke]

I don't think robbery was the motive. I think some clues can be found in what was stolen: three copies of a specific niche magazine called "Puritan", two copies of which were purchased by a customer earlier in the morning, and 25¢, also known as two bits. I see this as some kind of moralistic killing, in the eyes of the murderer.

Also, the person seen fleeing the scene was wearing a clean white T-shirt. This would indicate premeditation, as there is no way a white T-shirt would have been clean after a brutal murder. The perp washed up and changed before leaving the scene. White is the color of purity.

I'm sure others will join in on this.

Do we know that the shirt was clean? I"ve seen it described as a white shirt, but not the specific detail that it was clean.

“(Did the police) ask you whether this person had blood on them?”

Taillefer replied she didn’t see any blood on him or any scratches on his face – adding that she only got a good look at one side of his face.

“I didn’t see any blood,’ she said.

Witness testifies she saw young man running from video store morning of the Sweeney murder

A woman who got coffee at a nearby shop the morning Renee Sweeney was murdered testified Thursday that she saw a young man running “really fast” carrying a bag under his left arm.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Thank you Gina. I've been behind on my reading, obviously.

 

[Gina20]

Do we know that the shirt was clean? I"ve seen it described as a white shirt, but not the specific detail that it was clean.


Thank you Gina. I've been behind on my reading, obviously.

Witnesses inside the store described a gray shirt:

Both witnesses testified that he was wearing a gray or long-sleeved shirt with a hood, lightweight and potentially made of cotton.

Sweeney murder trial Day 2: First witnesses on scene testify

Witnesses testify they entered the video store where the victim worked minutes after the stabbing had occurred and seeing a man over Renée Sweeney’s body

www.sudbury.com

 

[Gina20]

Slightly different versions of what was sold/stolen:

...$175.25 was taken from the store’s cash box, as were three pornographic magazines worth $29, and some male sex toys. The last sale recorded at the store occurred at 10:46 a.m. and was for $89.53.

Young man fled murder scene in a hurry, witness tells Sudbury jury

'He looked frightened. His eyes were wide, bulging, when he faced me.'

thesudburystar.com

And:

After the murder, it emerged that $178.25 was missing from the cashbox, along with three expensive adult magazines, called ‘Puritan’ that sold for $29 each. Two sex toys were also missing.

In response to a question from Lacy, Nurmi confirmed the final sale that morning at 11 a.m. totaled $89 and included two of the expensive magazines.

The report I posted previously mentioned the sale of two magazines and two sex toys, followed by the theft of three magazines and $178.25.

So it appears that the items stolen closely mirrored the first purchase of the day, the first sale being two copies of Puritan magazine and two sex toys, valued at about $89, followed by the theft of three Puritan magazines and two sex toys, plus about $178.25 in cash. Why $.25?

Witness testifies she saw young man running from video store morning of the Sweeney murder

A woman who got coffee at a nearby shop the morning Renee Sweeney was murdered testified Thursday that she saw a young man running “really fast” carrying a bag under his left arm.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Plenty of surprises already at Wright’s second-degree murder trial

After just one week, there have already been some major developments in the second-degree murder trial of Robert Steven Wright.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

 

[Gina20]

Does anyone know if Renee would have had to check ID for anyone who appeared to be below or around legal age when entering or buying items at Adults Only Video?

 

[musicaljoke]

Does anyone know if Renee would have had to check ID for anyone who appeared to be below or around legal age when entering or buying items at Adults Only Video?

The thought occurred to me that this guy may have been enraged about some age restrictions. Is that what you are thinking too?

 

[dotr]

Does anyone know if Renee would have had to check ID for anyone who appeared to be below or around legal age when entering or buying items at Adults Only Video?

Had not considered that, but did wonder if any of the ''purchases'' might cause someone to suppress a giggle, a smirk, or a look of disgust enough to worry (about gossip) and enrage the perp ?

What if after spending all that money on sad dirty material early in the day, he was mad at himself but more so at the person who ''enabled'' him, so decided to return the items and get his money back, but refused?
speculation, imo.

 

[Gina20]

I'm wondering if something that happened at the store could have made the perp angry enough to kill Renee, thus the second degree murder charge. Would showing ID send him over the edge, or was it something else?