Forensics key to arrest in Linda Reed cold-case murder

Homicide detectives said forensics played a significant role in connecting Troy James O’Meara to Linda Reed’s 1983 murder.

Troy James O’Meara, 51, is arrested by police for the murder of Linda Reed, yesterday. Picture: AAP

A man arrested yesterday over the 1983 cold case murder of retail assistant Linda Reed was not ­initially on the radar of police, who had charged someone else with the crime.

Homicide detectives say re-examination of evidence using advances in forensics played a key role in connecting Troy James O’Meara, 51, to Reed’s random abduction during her lunch break at a Gold Coast shopping centre.

Mr O’Meara, 17 at the time, is alleged to have acted alone.

Reed’s husband, Robert Reed, became emotional at a media conference at Brisbane’s police headquarters yesterday, after a decades-long wait for justice.

“It’s been 35 years since my wife was taken from me, from Nancy and Oscar, her parents, from Philipp, her brother,” he said. “We just want to thank the police for never giving up trying to find Linda’s murderer. We cannot thank the Queensland police enough.”

Reed, 21, was last seen alive at the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, where she was working at a ­jewellery store, on December 13, 1983. She likely went to her car to have lunch during her break when she was abducted.

Her bound and semi-naked body was found near her Mazda sedan at Gaven Forest Estate three days later. The car was found stocked with Christmas presents and with the remains of her lunch in its wrappings.

Linda Reed who was murdered in 1983.

In 1986, police charged Craig Andrew McConnell over Reed’s murder after an alleged jailhouse confession, but he was acquitted and is no longer suspected to be connected to the case. McConnell was convicted of two other ­murders, pleading guilty to the separate 1984 killings of Surfers Paradise escort Lovina Cunningham and Tweed Heads sex shop owner Kevin Mannix, but had ­denied killing Reed.

“You’ve got the wrong man,” he told detectives. “I’ve never believed in going down for something I never done.”

Once described by police as one of the “greatest arguments for the death penalty”, McConnell was released on parole in 2003 and deported to New Zealand.

Detective Senior Sergeant Chris Knight said yesterday’s ­arrest of Mr O’Meara was not a double jeopardy case and no one else was expected to be charged.

“His name did not come up in the earlier investigation. It’s been in the relatively recent past when it has come up,” he said.

Police could not see any contact between Mr O’Meara and Reed prior to her abduction.

“Linda’s abduction and ­murder is a completely random attack that has had devastating effects, not only on Linda’s ­family but on the Gold Coast ­community generally,” Sergeant Knight said.

A fingerprint recovered from a van that picked up a hitchhiker in the area reportedly played a role in linking Mr O’Meara to the murder. Detectives had been suppor­ted by a “broad spectrum of ­forensic officers who have played a significant role in the advancement of this investigation”, with the role of DNA to become ­apparent in court in future.