Mistrial Declared in 1986 Murder Case After Used Body Bag Allegation
A shocking allegation that an 11-year-old Connecticut girl, raped and killed in 1986, was placed in a used body bag has led to a mistrial in a decades-old murder case. The revelation emerged during the trial of Marc Karun, charged with the murder and kidnapping of Kathleen Flynn, a sixth grader attacked while walking home from school in Norwalk.
Evidence Contamination Concerns Prompt Judicial Action
Judge John Blawie declared the mistrial on Monday, citing serious concerns over potential evidence contamination. He stated he believed he had no alternative but to halt proceedings, though he emphasised the case would not be dismissed outright. The decision followed prosecutors disclosing an email from retired Norwalk police lieutenant Robert Fabrizzio, who reported that a state crime lab official informed him shortly after Flynn's killing that she had been placed in a used body bag.
Fabrizzio identified the official as Henry Lee, the famed forensic scientist known for his work on the O.J. Simpson case and other high-profile crimes. Lee, who headed the crime lab at the time, passed away last month at age 87. The allegation, described as a surprise by crime lab officials, has prompted prosecutors to investigate its veracity with the state crime lab and medical examiner's office.
Prosecution and Defence Reactions to the Development
State's Attorney Paul Ferencek expressed disappointment in a statement, acknowledging the impact on Flynn's family, who have waited nearly forty years for justice. "We're obviously disappointed by this turn of events, especially for the family members of Kathy Flynn, who have waited forty years for justice and some degree of closure," he said. Meanwhile, Karun's lawyer, Francis O'Reilly, declined to comment on the mistrial.
Rick Green, a spokesman for the crime lab and its overseeing agency, the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, noted that forensic scientists from the lab stand by their trial testimony. Karun remains detained on a $5 million bond as the legal process unfolds.
Background on the Case and the Defendant
Marc Karun, now 60, was arrested in 2019 at his home in Stetson, Maine, after advances in DNA testing technology linked him to the crime. Police alleged he killed Flynn on September 23, 1986, and noted similarities between this attack and his prior convictions for sexually assaulting or kidnapping four other female victims in the 1980s, for which he served about ten years in prison.
During the trial, a state forensic lab official testified that DNA testing on scrapings from Flynn's fingernails showed the genetic material was 22,000 times more likely to belong to Flynn and Karun than to the girl and another person. Additionally, after Karun's arrest, police found nearly 90 rifles and handguns at his Maine home, leading to federal gun charges to which he pleaded guilty in 2024, with sentencing scheduled for July.
The mistrial underscores the complexities of revisiting cold cases and the critical importance of evidence integrity in securing convictions. As authorities work to verify the body bag claim, the pursuit of justice for Kathleen Flynn continues, highlighting the enduring challenges in resolving historical crimes.
