Greater Sudbury Police are looking at an accused killer of a Cape Breton woman 10 years ago as a possible suspect in the death of a Sudbury university student in 1998.
Renee Sweeney was stabbed while working alone at a Paris Street video store Jan. 28, 1998. A lone male was seen running from the scene. DNA testing has been unsuccessful in trying to track down the person responsible for the vicious attack.
Sudbury police have confirmed they are looking at a possible link between a 27-year-old Brampton man, now being held in jail in Sydney, N.S. and the Sweeney murder.
?We have been told this suspect has got some very interesting similarities to the suspect we?re looking for,? said police spokesperson Sgt. Loretta Ronchin. ?The man in custody in Nova Scotia is also age 27, which would have made him 23 at the time of the murder in Sudbury, which fits into the age range of our suspect.?
Police have placed a request to compare fingerprints and DNA of the suspect in Nova Scotia.
The man?s name hasn?t been released because he was a young offender at the time the Cape Breton murder took place in 1992. Marie Lorraine Dupe was found stabbed to death in a Sydney convenience store March 22, 1992.
The man was arrested in Brampton last month.
Sweeney?s killer was seen by at least two witnesses and police unveiled two different composite sketches and pictures of bloody clothing recovered at the scene, but have been unable to arrest any suspect.
Sweeney was 23 at the time of her death. She was a well-liked and accomplished student and musician.
Her killer took less than $200 from the cash register at the store where she worked.
The man left a trail of blood in the snow near the scene and was followed by police tracking dogs, but managed to escape. The killer?s blood-stained jacket, a pair of white gloves with blood stains and grey fleece top were recovered and sent away for DNA testing.
The composite sketches released by police both described the suspect as a white male in his early 20s, with a slim build, five-foot-eleven inches, 140 pounds, with spiky brown hair and glasses.
Because the suspect ?is in custody and won?t be going anywhere any time soon,? DNA testing and results are likely going to take some time, said Ronchin. ?Testing we?ve requested tends to get done on a priority basis,? said Ronchin. ?The testing... will get placed in the right place on the priority list and it?s going to take some time before we get some results.?
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