Charges laid in decades-old P.E.I. cold case murder withdrawn after key evidence lost
Murder charges against Todd Joseph Irving in a decades-old cold case have been withdrawn after police admitted key evidence, including the murder weapon, was lost. The Charlottetown police acknowledged the loss of evidence while maintaining that forensic procedures have since improved.
Why it matters
The failure to secure evidence in a cold case raises significant questions about police accountability and the integrity of the judicial process.
"It’s obviously tremendously disappointing," Crown attorney Christopher White told CBC News after a brief hearing Tuesday morning in P.E.I. Supreme Court to formally withdraw all charges against Todd Joseph Irving, who previously used the last name Gallant.
"I can tell you that on the Crown prosecution end, a huge amount of work went into this file, a huge amount of our office’s resources, so it’s a tremendously disappointing result for sure."
Family of Byron Carr speaks out after murder charges in decades-old cold case withdrawn
CBC News first learned about the missing evidence at a bail hearing in July but couldn’t report on it because of a publication ban. White said Tuesday it was also new information to the Crown at the time.
At that hearing, police testified during questioning by Irving's lawyer that both the knife and the towel used to strangle Carr were missing.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in