old man arrested for 1978 cold case double murder
Nov. 14 (UPI) - Authorities in Massachusetts said a 71-year-old man has been arrested and charged with murdering two people nearly 46 years ago, bringing a close to the cold case.
"This pursuit of justice is never easy, and it sometimes takes a long and circuitous route," Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni told reporters Wednesday during a press conference . "Today, after almost 46 years, an arrest has been made in the homicides of 18-year-old Theresa Marcoux and 20-year-old Mark Harnish."
Timothy Scott Joley, 71, was arrested Oct. 30 at his Clearwater, Fla., residence and was being held without bond at the Pinellas County Jail.
Gulluni said Joley waived his right to extradition and will be returned to Massachusetts to face a two-count murder complaint accusing him of killing Marcoux and Harnish nearly five decades ago.
According to authorities, Marcoux and Harnish were killed early Nov. 19 ,1978, after having attended a party hosted by friends.
Their bodies were found that morning just off Route 5 in West Springfield. Authorities said they had been shot dead in the back of Harnish's green Dodge pickup truck, which was also found nearby with its driver's side window damaged and blood around the vehicle.
The bodies were then moved to the location where they were discovered by a West Springfield Police officer who was on patrol and noticed the pickup truck parked a in a roadway.
An autopsy determined Marcoux and Harnish had been shot multiple times, and the investigation uncovered a witness who said they had heard multiple gunshots at about 4 a.m. that morning.
A fingerprint in blood on the passenger-side vent of the pickup was retrieved from the scene, and the spent bullets were recovered from the victims' bodies.
Authorities said the fingerprint was added to the Massachusetts Automated Fingerprint Identification System and was manually compared over the years to approximately 70,000 known fingerprint cards. Despite the extensive investigation, the case went cold.
A break in the case occurred within the last month, Gulluni said, stating an individual provided investigators Joley's name and information of his alleged involvement in the murders of Marcoux and Harnish.
Investigators then learned that Joley had lived in Springfield in November 1978. They also obtained a fingerprint identification card for Joley from the Springfield Police Department, where it had been on file as he had applied for a taxi license in 2000.
Two investigators with extensive experience in analysing fingerprints were brought onto the case, and each determined that the fingerprint found in Harnish's pickup belonged to Joley's left thumb, Gulluni said.
"Investigators have also learned that Joley was a licensed gun owner in November 1978 and that he purchased a Colt handgun approximately one month before the murders," he said.
Gulluni told reporters that there is no evidence to suggest a motive behind the killings.
He added that many individuals had been looked at for the crime, but Joley was never brought to their attention.
To members of the families of Marcoux and Harnish who attended the press conference, Gulluni said he "admired and respected" them for their patience, resolve and the faith they have maintained over the years.
"Sadly, the parents of Theresa and Mark ar deceased, and never knew either answers or justice for the brutality that was inflicted upon their children," he said.
"Throughout the years, however, this office has maintained contact with the extended families of both victims. Their desire for justice and ours has never extinguished."
