After nearly 50 years, authorities are on the verge of identifying the killer of Sharron Prior, a Montrealer who was raped and beaten to death in Longueuil in 1975.
• Also read: Longueuil: The rape and brutal murder of Sharron Prior is about to be solved
For lawyer Marc Bellemare, who has worked with the Prior family on several occasions in recent years, this development can bring comfort to the relatives of the teenager who died 48 years ago.
Marie Christine Trottier / 24 hours
“It’s an incredible story worthy of a perfect film,” Me Bellemare said in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
“This means we must never give up, both for the police services and for the families. We have to keep pushing to keep the investigation going and we’re still talking about the disappearance,” he added.
While the family of suspected killer Franklin Maywood Romine opposed the exhumation of the body of the man who died in 1982, authorities managed to secure an order to dig up the body and send it to Quebec for DNA analysis.
These could confirm that the man is the one who brutally killed Sharron Prior in 1975.
Sébastien St-Jean / Agency QMI
“The takeaway from all of this is that if you kill someone or attack someone, we will find you. And that’s an incredible message of hope for the families of the victims,” says Me Marc Bellemare.
Investigators already have several pieces of evidence pointing to Franklin Maywood Romine’s guilt, including footprints and vehicle tracks.
“Everything agrees with the respective person,” argues the lawyer. “Regardless of the DNA results, there are still sufficient elements to support this individual’s involvement in the heinous crime committed in 1975.
The results of the DNA analysis should be known this week, Me Bellemare estimates.
To see the full interview, watch the video above.