Sweeney murder still unsolved

BY KEITH LACEY

Bill Strachan and wife Carole believe in their heart there is someone in this community who has information that could lead to the arrest of the person responsible for the murder of Renee Sweeney eight years ago today.

SWEENEY

Renee is Carole?s daughter and Bill?s stepdaughter and they believe this case could be solved quickly if someone with this crucial information would have the guts to come forward.

?We have no clue who did this or if the person is still in the Sudbury area, but we?re convinced there is still someone in Sudbury who knows what happened and who did this,? said Bill. ?We just wish they would come forward.?

The popular and talented 23-year-old Laurentian University music student was stabbed to death while working alone at Adult?s Only Video on Paris Street on Jan. 27, 1998.

Greater Sudbury Police recovered a bloodstained jacket and gloves near the scene in the bush near Walford Road and a fleece top in the bush near Caswell Drive.

Blood samples and DNA was recovered and even though police tested more than 1,300 people, the case remains unsolved.

Carole was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis before her daughter was killed, but could walk and talk. She hasn?t been able to walk since that day.

Her condition has deteriorated so badly she needs around-the-clock care. Two years ago Carole was placed at St. Joseph?s Villa and has great difficulty speaking.

?Life has changed so dramatically for the both of us,? said Bill. ?This whole incident has exacerbated Carole?s MS to the point she needed around-the-clock care. I now have to live alone because of this forced separation...the person who did this not only claimed the life of our precious Renee, but

devastated the lives of everyone who loved her.?

Eight years later, the pain hasn?t diminished because a killer remains free, he said.

Carole Strachan, seen here with her husband Bill, has recorded a CD, Remembering Renee, filled with songs dedicated to her daughter Renee Sweeney who was murdered eight years ago today.

?They say the passage of time helps, but it hasn?t helped us much because the person responsible has yet to be brought to justice,? he said. ?There?s not a day that goes by when we don?t think about Renee or that terrible day...it?s in your mind everyday and we?re still waiting for the killer to be caught.?

To mark the eight anniversary of Renee?s death, Bill and Carole have compiled a collection of music on compact disc. Remembering Renee has a collection of songs Renee and her mother both loved.

The songs include classics like Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers, You Needed Me by Anne Murray, I Fall to Pieces and Crazy by Patsy Cline, Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson and Please Mister Please by Olivia Newton John.

There will be a CD Release Party at St. Joseph?s Villa on Feb. 6, with all proceeds from CD sales being split by the St. Joseph?s Foundation and Sudbury branch of the MS Society.

Bill says he doesn?t believe Renee?s case remains a priority with Greater Sudbury Police.

?I met with police on Monday and the reports we?re getting is they don?t have enough resources to really work on this,? he said. ?I don?t believe they?ve done an awful lot in the past couple of years. It?s very frustrating.?

Carole?s brother is a retired police sergeant from Kitchener-Waterloo and he forwarded a tip to Sudbury police recently, but when Bill met with the chief investigator on Monday, they hadn?t followed up on that lead.

?It?s very frustrating...we?re constantly told they don?t have enough resources,? said Bill.

Police Chief Ian Davidson said finding Renee?s killer remains a top priority and one officer is assigned to the case full-time.

?This file remains a top priority...and will continue to be a top priority as long as there?s evidence, no matter how minute it might be, to pursue,? he said.

There are other murder investigations ongoing and ?priorities do change,? but to suggest police have given up on finding Renee?s killer is not fair or accurate, said Davidson.

?We conduct investigations on how our resources are most effectively deployed,? he said. ?Priorities do change and we are involved in some high priority cases right now, but I assure you the Sweeney investigation continues.?

Bill says the American television program America?s Most Wanted has shown some interest in coming to Sudbury to create a re-enactment of the day Renee was killed.

Davidson said his police service would be more than willing to co-operate with the acclaimed program if producers contact him.

?Absolutely, I?d be willing to talk to them,? he said. ?It?s my experience that when the media shows particular interest in an investigation, it tends to bring more evidence forward...and helps the investigation.

?If I?m contacted by them (America?s Most Wanted), I?d be more than willing to sit down and talk with them.?

When informed of Davidson?s reaction, Bill said he was ecstatic.

?We have a family friend who has been in contact with America?s Most Wanted and assures us they are interested in coming here...if the chief says he?s willing to assist them, then that?s fantastic...beautiful,? said Strachan. ?This is a show seen by millions of people and all it could do is help...this

case needs another set of eyes.?

Copies of Remembering Renee will be sold for $15 and will be available at St. Joseph?s Health Centre gift shop, Records on Wheels, Black Cat Too,

the MS Society office, Studio Flowers, A Touch of Class hair salon and St. Joseph?s Villa Foundation office.