Guy Paul Morin Flashcards
What are the 5 main causes of the wrongful conviction of Guy Paul Morin?
Tunnel vision
Bad science
Poor police investigation
Unreliable witnesses
Jailhouse informants
Outline the murder of Christine Jessop
Mother and brother came home and Jessop was not there
Disappeared in York region, missing person investigation opened by York regional police, thus home was not treated as a crime scene
Body found in Durham region, homicide investigation opened by Durham police
Two departments didn’t entirely cooperate
Body was badly decomposed, murder could have happened months after
Explain the body site
Major snowstorm forecast for that evening, police felt pressured to process the scene quickly
Cons. Cameron buffed out cigarette near site but not close to the body
Another butt was found next to the body (Morin did not smoke)
Necklace on the body had hair that was not consistent with Christine’s
Why was Morin the prime suspect?
“Weird behaviour” - played clarinet, did not play hockey
What was wrong with the initial interrogation of Morin?
90-minute tape only ran on one side for 45 min, police claimed they didn’t know they had to turn it over.
Police said Morin said suspicious things during the second part of the interview, which was not recorded
Explain the timeline of the murder
Morin’s timecard was obtained and it was calculated that he’d be home by 4:14 pm if no stops along the way.
Mom and brother said they arrived home at 4:10
Police asked if they were sure
Their statement changed to after 5 pm
What evidence was examined in hopes of obtaining a physical link between Morin and Jessop?
Hair from necklace on Christine, hair from Morin’s vehicle, fibres from the body site and Jessop’s clarinet bag, as well as from Morin’s car and home
What was used to arrest Morin?
Police watched CFS biologist do a quick, preliminary comparison of hair and police claim she said it could be a match.
What was determined about the hair evidence?
Hair in necklace was similar to Morin’s
Hair found in vehicle was dissimilar to Morin and similar to Jessop
What was determined about the fiber evidence?
Fibres from morin were similar to and could have come from same source as several found on the body.
What was a problem with the fiber evidence?
Question of contamination since both families used the same laundromat.
This theory was dismissed under oath by a forensic examiner. Later, CFS refused samples from a penitentiary due to common use of laundry equipment.
Police did their own study and did not disclose their results to defense.
What was done about the cigarette butt found near the body?
Explained away as most likely belonging to Const. Cameron
Explain the role criminal profiling may have played in this case.
John Douglas created a profile, Morin’s father said it sounded like him. Could have introduced bias.
Why was the prosecution able to call upon the jailhouse informants?
No existing law or ethical standards prevented them from calling even suspected perjured evidence so long as they did not know definitively it was perjured.
What was the verdict of the first trial?
Acquitted of first degree murder. Court of Appeal ordered new trial one year later.
Explain double jeopardy in Canada.
Individual can be tried more than once even after jury acquittal. Protects against errors. If finally acquitted, double jeopardy applies.
What discoveries were made between trials?
Bones discovered at site by family never reported to police.
Sgt. Michalowski had copied his notebook and made significant changes.
Christine’s bro admitted to sexual assault of Jessop by hum and two friends
Hair samples from Christine’s school had not been submitted to CFS. After testing, two samples were a match and 3 others were similar to necklace hair
What evidence was lost?
Over 200 slides of hair and fibers
Cigarette butt used in first trial was planted. Crown admitted actual one from the scene had never been located.
What was discovered after exhumation of the body?
Half of breastbone had been sheared off in a straight line
Massive skull fracture
What did the injuries reported from the exhumation indicate?
Massive blood loss - larger time frame needed to clean up
Explain the role of DNA testing
1989 - Court ordered semen stain from clothing to be divided between crown and defense, neither group got results
1994 - Crown and defense cooperated and team of 3 DNA experts called in
1995 - Morin excluded as source
What is tunnel vision?
The single minded and overly narrow focus on an investigation or prosecutorial theory
What was the Kaufman inquiry?
Inquire into conduct of
Investigation
Conduct of CFS
Criminal proceedings
List some of the recommendations of the Kaufman inquiry
Forensic opinions to be acted upon only when in writing
Specific language to be avoided by forensic scientists (match, consistent with)
Scientists to work vigorously to disprove a hypothesis rather than prove one
Scientists should establish a written policy requiring its analysts and techs to record the substance of their contacts with police, prosecutors, defense counsel and non-centre experts.
Explain the contamination in this case.
Fibres contaminated within CFS, origin cannot be determined.
Known to both members of bio section and withheld from police, prosecutors, defense and court
Only found out when Kaufman received an anonymous note during inquiry
