Attention! Timothy Rees, Toronto, Canada 26 years in prison, case review granted for possible wrongful conviction in 1990

[MistyWaters]

Man convicted of killing young girl in Toronto granted chance at appeal after 34 years

After serving 26 years in prison for the murder of a 10-year-old girl, a Toronto man will have his case reviewed in court after the federal government found that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred during his 1990 trial.

www.iheartradio.ca

“…After serving 26 years in prison for the murder of a 10-year-old girl, a Toronto man will have his case reviewed in court after the federal government found that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred during his 1990 trial.

On Wednesday, federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Arif Virani, referred the case of Timothy Rees back to the Court of Appeal for Ontario following an “extensive review" of the historical proceedings…..

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-man-prison-murder-girl-court-appeal-rees-1.6932785

"Having this kind of burden on you — the murder of a 10 year old girl — is something I don't think any of us could really imagine."

Rees, 25 at the time, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Darla Thurott, according to a release issued Wednesday by Innocence Canada.

According to the release, the girl was strangled in bed in her Etobicoke residence and later found dead by her mother.

Rees received a life sentence in 1990 with no eligibility for parole for 15 years. He was released on parole 26 years later, in October 2016…..

……The review was prompted by "the identification of new information that was not before the courts at the time of Mr. Rees's trial or appeal," the statement from the Department of Justice Canada reads.

According to Innocence Canada, that evidence includes a "disturbing" tape recording of the now-deceased landlord, who lived and slept in the room across the hall from the victim.

Lockyer said the interview was taped and conducted by police within 12 hours of the murder, but was not disclosed during the trial.

"It's really to me quite shocking that that interview was not disclosed to the defence. Clearly, that made all the difference," Lockyer said.

According to the release from Innocence Canada, the tape went missing at some point after it was recorded. The legal organization said it was rediscovered by the Toronto Police homicide cold case squad in 2016.….”

 

[dotr]

MANDEL: Appeal court hears buried interview that may exonerate convicted killer

Timothy Rees was at the Ontario Court of Appeal Wednesday when the long-secret, explosive recording was finally played in an open courtroom.

torontosun.com

Michele Mandel Published Jun 26, 2024

''Now 61, Rees was at the Ontario Court of Appeal on Wednesday when the long-secret, explosive recording was finally played in an open courtroom: James Raymer, the landlord who lived across the hall from Darla Thurrott’s bedroom, could be heard admitting to a police officer in 1989 that he’d kissed and sexually “played” with the girl in the past.

And on that night she was killed, he said he went into her room to kiss her goodnight — though he later backtracked and said it was on other nights — and had bumped into her when they were both going to the bathroom. He could even describe the colour of her night gown''

 

[LadyL]

MANDEL: Appeal court hears buried interview that may exonerate convicted killer

Timothy Rees was at the Ontario Court of Appeal Wednesday when the long-secret, explosive recording was finally played in an open courtroom.

torontosun.com

Michele Mandel Published Jun 26, 2024
View attachment 513528
''Now 61, Rees was at the Ontario Court of Appeal on Wednesday when the long-secret, explosive recording was finally played in an open courtroom: James Raymer, the landlord who lived across the hall from Darla Thurrott’s bedroom, could be heard admitting to a police officer in 1989 that he’d kissed and sexually “played” with the girl in the past.

And on that night she was killed, he said he went into her room to kiss her goodnight — though he later backtracked and said it was on other nights — and had bumped into her when they were both going to the bathroom. He could even describe the colour of her night gown''

wow, that is very disturbing

 

[otto]

I'm immediately reminded of Guy Paul Morin, who was falsely accused by Durham, Ontario police of murder. They too had other leads that they did not pursue. Ontario police in the 1980s and 1990s, until there was DNA proof, seem like yahoos who picked the weird guy as their suspect. They couldn't have done it without a prosecutor on board to create the argument.

It seems like "tunnel vision" was common in Ontario until the mid-1990s, with the beginning of DNA in Canada. Those, who are falsely convicted in Canada, are compensated financially.

David Milgard received $10 million for 23 years wrongful imprisonment.
CBC