Cops confess to DNA murder stuff up in Maria James cold case
UPDATE: VICTORIA Police have admitted to bungling the Maria James murder probe after using DNA from another crime scene to rule out a paedophile priest.
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- Suspect priest Father Anthony Bongiorno told boys mum’s murder
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THE SON of a murdered Melbourne mum says he has some sense of relief after police admitted bungling their investigation by using DNA from another crime scene to rule out a paedophile priest.
Single mother Maria James was stabbed 68 times and her hands bound at her Thornbury home in an attack in 1980.
Local paedophile priest, Father Anthony Bongiorno, now deceased, was ruled out as a suspect — along with many others — through DNA from an exhibit, which police have no confirmed was a bloody pillow case.
But Victoria Police have now confirmed that there was an error in handling the exhibit, and it was in fact from an unrelated crime scene.
“I am simultaneously quite disappointed but I have a sense of relief as well,” Mark James said on ABC television on Thursday.
“When I was originally told that Father Anthony Bongiorno had been eliminated through some form of DNA-type testing, I found it difficult to accept but now that police have confirmed that Father Bongiorno and others are actually not eliminated, I’m feeling some relief.”
Persons of interest — previously ruled out over killing the 38-year-old — will now be reinvestigated.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Steve Fontana said the bungle was an isolated incident.
“This was human error,” he told reporters.
“Basically this means we need to go back and re-examine all the exhibits from the Maria James investigation.”
He said homicide detectives met with Ms James’ family to provide an update on the investigation, who were “extremely disappointed” by the news.
“The examination of the particular exhibit happened over 14 years ago and it wasn’t picked up that that examination related to another case,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it was only discovered this year, when we were running through our homicide investigation, reopened the case, re-examining exhibits, as well as forensics.”
Mr Fontana confirmed police still had a small number of persons of interest in the case, including one who had since passed away.
When asked whether the investigation could see police try to exhume Father Bongiorno’s body, Mr Fontana couldn’t provide a black and white answer.
“It’s always been a difficult case — we need to go back and see if we have any evidence to take it one way or another,” he said.
The ABC has reported that Ms James’ sons Mark and Adam have formally applied to the state coroner to reopen the case.
Father Bongiorno, who died in 2002, was found to have sexually abused Adam in the weeks before Ms James was murdered.
Ms James had planned to confront the local priest after her son informed her of the abuse.
WHAT IS THE CASE?
* Mum-of-two Maria James, 38, was murdered in her Thornbury bookshop on June 17, 1980
* She was stabbed 68 times and for the past 37 years police thought they had a DNA profile of her killer
WHAT HAS HAPPENED?
* On July 13 Victoria Police admitted to bungling the case, confirming a bloodied pillowcase used to eliminate suspects was actually related to another crime scene
* The anomaly was found when the case was reopened and exhibits were being re-examined
* The pillowcase relates to another unsolved murder that pre-dates the James case
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
* Police blame a human error storage mix-up that could have happened three decades ago
WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
* Police have no DNA profile of Ms James’ murder suspect and will re-examine evidence to try to find one
* Suspects previously ruled out based on the pillowcase evidence will be reinvestigated
WHO ARE THE SUSPECTS?
* Pedophile priest Anthony Bongiorno was ruled out as a suspect based on the pillowcase
* Ms James’ family have considered Bongiorno a suspect because he abused her youngest son Adam as a child
* Police say there are multiple suspects, but will not detail how many or who they are
WHAT DO HER FAMILY SAY?
* Eldest son Mark James says he is angry, indignant and disappointed over the bungle
* But he is also relieved and hopes a new investigation will capture the killer
* The family wants a new coronial investigation opened.
-with AAP