When DNA overturns a murder conviction
DNA evidence has led to the overturning of other convictions of Canadians who were sentenced to life in prison for murder.
Guy Paul Morin
In 1992, Guy Paul Morin was convicted of the 1984 rape and murder of his nine-year-old Queensville, Ontario, neighbour Christine Jessop and sentenced to life in prison. Morin was acquitted of the murder in his first trial in 1986; but a new trial was ordered, leading to his conviction. Improvements in DNA testing led to a new test of bodily fluids found on Jessop’s clothing. In 1995 that test proved that the DNA in question could not belong to Morin, which led to his acquittal.
Kyle Unger
On February 28, 1992, Kyle Unger was convicted of the 1990 firstdegree murder of sixteen-year-old Brigitte Grenier. Both Grenier and Unger had been at a rock festival in rural Manitoba on June 22, 1990. The next day, Grenier’s body was found in a wooded area on the concert grounds. She had been beaten to death and sexually assaulted. Unger was charged with the murder, based on hair microscopy conducted on a single hair found on her body. In 2004, DNA testing proved the hair was not his, and he was acquitted.