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

[Gina20]

This article contains upsetting crime scene photos, so be warned. Open at your own risk. I understand why this evidence was presented before the jury had a break for a few days. They had to see it.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ren%C3%A9e-sweeney-murder-trial-steven-wright-1.6766735

 

[Gina20]

Someone attempted to contact jurors, causing a delay today.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ren%C3%A9e-sweeney-murder-trial-steven-wright-1.6766735

 

[Gina20]

Today's events seem very unusual. Who would do such a thing? Juror anonymity and safety should be paramount, as explained here:

The conditions in which jurors perform their duties - Steering Committee on Justice Efficiencies and Access to the Justice System

Department of Justice Canada's Internet site

www.justice.gc.ca

 

[Gina20]

CTV's coverage today:

'Improper communication' delays start of Sudbury murder trial Monday

The start of a second-degree murder trial in Sudbury on Monday was delayed until the afternoon because of an attempt at 'improper communication with the jury.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

 

[Gina20]

CTV's coverage today:

'Improper communication' delays start of Sudbury murder trial Monday

The start of a second-degree murder trial in Sudbury on Monday was delayed until the afternoon because of an attempt at 'improper communication with the jury.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

What does "improper communication" mean in Canadian courts?

 

[musicaljoke]

Today's events seem very unusual. Who would do such a thing? Juror anonymity and safety should be paramount, as explained here:

The conditions in which jurors perform their duties - Steering Committee on Justice Efficiencies and Access to the Justice System

Department of Justice Canada's Internet site

www.justice.gc.ca

That's certainly very odd. I've never heard of that happening here before.

 

[musicaljoke]

What does "improper communication" mean in Canadian courts?

Any kind of communication about the case other than that heard in the courtroom. It could be a note left in the jury room, emails, phone calls, note left on their vehicle, etc ...

 

[Alison]

Thank you for the updates

 

[Gina20]

Sudbury forensic investigator recalls finding fingerprint and footprints at Sweeney murder scene​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ren%C3%A9e-sweeney-murder-trial-steven-wright-1.6769963

 

[Gina20]

Second-guessing fingerprint ID, shoeprint evidence in Sweeney murder investigation​

Second-guessing fingerprint ID, shoeprint evidence in Sweeney murder investigation

A former Sudbury police forensics officer testified in court Tuesday he thought it was a "joke" when he heard John Fetterly had been charged with the murder of Renee Sweeney.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

 

[JuneBug67]

I hope the testimony about mistakenly arresting Fetterly sounds more coherent in court, because man does it make it sound like amateur hour in the media summaries.

 

[Gina20]

I hope the testimony about mistakenly arresting Fetterly sounds more coherent in court, because man does it make it sound like amateur hour in the media summaries.

It certainly isn't the only instance where a person was arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Take the homeless man arrested in the Audrey Gleave murder case, for example.

Charges withdrawn in Audrey Gleave murder case

Hamilton police say the crown attorney has withdrawn the charges in connection with the murder of 73-year-old Audrey Gleave due to a lack of evidence.

kitchener.ctvnews.ca

He was arrested, charged with first-degree murder, held in custody for four months, then released due to lack of evidence.

Defence attorney Charles Spettigue says "Hamilton Police Services wanted to get a quick answer to appease the folks of Ancaster…so there was a quick rush to judgement, and they grabbed the first person who was kind of different and unique."

This was described by police as a ‘savage' stabbing death of a woman, alone. The murder is still unsolved.

CANADA - Canada - Audrey Gleave, 73, Ancaster ON, 30 Dec 2010 #10

Profile of someone who kills by knife, from the Dr Phil show. Psychopathy + Narcissism + Machievellian personality. From wiki Machiavellianism is a personality trait that denotes cunningness, the ability to be manipulative, and a drive to use whatever means necessary to gain power...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Gina20]

More to come?

Also seized were the contents of the P-trap under the sink in the store’s main bathroom, the contents of a garbage can there, and a piece of used chewing gum found in the main area of the store.

(A P-trap holds just enough water to create an airtight seal that prevents sewer gas from backing up.)

He also said he looked into a shoe print found in one of the two bathrooms left by a Brooks running shoe.

Retired Sudbury police officer shocked when another man arrested for Sweeney murder

‘First of all, I thought it was a joke,’ Rick Waugh tells Robert Steven Wright’s murder trial in Sudbury.

thesudburystar.com

 

[Gina20]

Defence doubles down on forensic investigator's memory, notes taken of Sweeney investigation​

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/sudbury-sweeney-trial-day-nine-1.6771917

 

[Gina20]

Here's another reporter's version of yesterday's events:

Officer says he falsified duty notes in Sweeney murder

Former Sudbury Regional Police forensic officer Rick Waugh also testified today that the blood evidence found under Renée Sweeney’s fingerprints was found to be of little value

www.sudbury.com

A former Sudbury Regional Police officer testifying in the Robert Steven Wright murder trial admitted on the stand today to falsifying his duty notes, although he said he did it under duress.

This is also interesting:

Wright was an 18-year-old high school student in 1998 who lived at home with his parents, a short walk from the plaza at 1500 Paris Street in which the video store where Sweeney worked was located.

 

[Gina20]

Trial hears details of how DNA led to arrest in Sweeney murder case​

Trial hears details of how DNA led to arrest in Sweeney murder case

A Sudbury jury was told Wednesday that advances in DNA technology and an offer from a U.S. laboratory led Sudbury police to make an arrest in the Renee Sweeney murder case.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

 

[JuneBug67]

Trial hears details of how DNA led to arrest in Sweeney murder case

A Sudbury jury was told Wednesday that advances in DNA technology and an offer from a U.S. laboratory led Sudbury police to make an arrest in the Renee Sweeney murder case.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Super interesting how the DNA match came to be. I think most suspected it would be a familial DNA case, but the process of going down the two lines to find the match is a bit more high drama than cases that can find a closer family match immediately.

From right when this happened I felt for his parents because of how close to Christmas it was when this came crashing into their lives. The mom is in a singing group with a good friend of my mom, and my mom's friend said she is a really nice woman. She didn't come back to the group for a long time, but is back now.

 

[Gina20]

Officer who made Wright’s 2018 arrest takes the stand​

Officer who made Wright’s 2018 arrest takes the stand

GSPS Sergeant Robert Weston details the ongoing nature of the Renée Sweeney murder investigation, the largest in the police service’s history, and what led to Robert Steven Wright’s arrest

www.sudbury.com

 

[Gina20]

Trial hears details of how DNA led to arrest in Sweeney murder case

A Sudbury jury was told Wednesday that advances in DNA technology and an offer from a U.S. laboratory led Sudbury police to make an arrest in the Renee Sweeney murder case.

northernontario.ctvnews.ca

Super interesting how the DNA match came to be. I think most suspected it would be a familial DNA case, but the process of going down the two lines to find the match is a bit more high drama than cases that can find a closer family match immediately.

From right when this happened I felt for his parents because of how close to Christmas it was when this came crashing into their lives. The mom is in a singing group with a good friend of my mom, and my mom's friend said she is a really nice woman. She didn't come back to the group for a long time, but is back now.

I attended school with a boy who went on to become a triple murderer. He had been in our family home because his mother and mine were friends. She was a lovely woman.

The Secord surname is familiar. I wonder...

 

[Gina20]

Sudbury investigator details how police identified Sweeney murder suspect​

Cast-off samples of DNA from each of the four Wright family members, Weston told the jury, were then obtained and sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences for analysis. That analysis, he said, led to the arrest of Robert Steven Wright on Dec. 11, 2018.

Sudbury investigator details how police identified Sweeney murder suspect

Parabon, new DNA technology, led to the arrest of Robert Steven Wright in 2018, Sgt. Robert Weston tells jury.

www.thesudburystar.com