Current Matthew Tilley charged for 1993 murder of Suzanne Poll

[GreyCrow]

26 years after Suzanne Poll was brutally stabbed to death in her workplace a man has been arrested through the use of Familial DNA testing

Victorian man arrested over 1993 murder of Adelaide woman

Police arrest a Victorian man over the stabbing murder of Adelaide woman Suzanne Poll at a shop in April in 1993 after a DNA breakthrough.

www.abc.net.au

She was counting takings at the end of her shift at a stationery shop in Salisbury, in Adelaide's north, when a man entered the business about 9:00pm.

"For reasons that are completely unknown to us, it led to a vicious and sustained attack that has led to her death," Major Crime officer in charge Detective Superintendent Des Bray said.

Superintendent Bray said the man left a "considerable amount" of blood in the Sands & McDougall shop in John Street.

DNA from the blood was tested many times over the years until finally, a few weeks ago, a positive result came back saying the offender had a "familial DNA link" to someone in the national police DNA database.

Police then "worked through the family" to identify who was the most likely offender, Superintendent Bray said.

At the time of the crime, the arrested man lived about 300 metres from the shop where Mrs Poll was murdered.

DNA was taken from the 46-year-old man on September 6, and it came back with confirmation of a match yesterday.



He was located in Ballarat today and arrested by Victoria Police.

 

[Burton89onegoal]

Its great that crims like this cant rest easy with DNA advancements.

I was starting to think that no arrest would ever be made in the Poll murder, but with offender's DNA left at the scene it was perhaps only a matter of time.

It would be good to see an arrest in other SA cold cases such as Corinne Marr and Daniel Shepherd, but there was perhaps less evidence left behind at these 2 crime scenes.

 

[GreyCrow]

="">

 

[Kurve]

="">

They got his DNA by blood left at the scene I read somewhere so maybe they had a fight but depending on where it was this might be really interesting if he never was a suspect and a local where his DNA might have been found in there for some other reason.

 

[GreyCrow]

They got his DNA by blood left at the scene I read somewhere so maybe they had a fight but depending on where it was this might be really interesting if he never was a suspect and a local where his DNA might have been found in there for some other reason.

Trying to recall the police thought it was a homeless person and they cut themselves with the knife used

The original photofit might be interesting to look at again

Maybe a fresh thread for this

 

[Kurve]

Trying to recall the police thought it was a homeless person and they cut themselves with the knife used

The original photofit might be interesting to look at again

Maybe a fresh thread for this

Here we go, new thread GreyCrow .

I couldn't live for over twenty years with something like that in my past, wondering every day if today was the the one they'd come for me.

 

[Kurve]

Here's the original b/w identikit, he looks a bit scruffy.

 

[GreyCrow]

Here's the original b/w identikit, he looks a bit scruffy.

Thats a pretty good photofit.

''scruffy'' is why police thought a homeless person was responsible

More will come out I guess yet I cant help wondering if any friends or family considered he could be a suspect

 

[Hamingja]

"familial DNA link"

Hmmm makes you wonder about the use of ancestry.com kind of thing

 

[Burton89onegoal]

Heard his lawyers talking on the news about how he'd experienced PTSD, although Im not sure the context or time period or whether its a possible defence.

 

[GreyCrow]

"familial DNA link"

Hmmm makes you wonder about the use of ancestry.com kind of thing

From gedmatch which is a site that gathers DNA files from people who volunteer these to enable cross matching IE instead of buying 5 kits from 5 companies you can send to gedmatch and link up with ancestry to family tree dna

An email from a few weeks ago

The purpose of GEDmatch is to provide tools to our fellow genealogical researchers

However, we also wish to remind our members of another use that we believe is especially important.

That use is to bring a sense of closure to families who have suffered deeply because a violent crime was perpetrated on them or a member of their family. Here is a story one family victim placed on YouTube.

 

[Kurve]

He's pleading not guilty, twelve months until the next court hearing unless he goes for bail.

Alleged cold case killer to plead not guilty to murder of Suzanne Poll, lawyer says

A Victorian man accused of murdering Adelaide mother-of-two Suzanne Poll at her workplace in 1993 will plead not guilty to the charge, a court has heard.

www.abc.net.au

 

[GreyCrow]

Some archived stuff from 2009. Talking about an international DNA search

Global CSI search

Shop assistant Suzanne Poll was knifed to death at a newsagency in Salisbury. DNA samples from two of the state's most baffling cold-case mu...

malaysiaflipflop.blogspot.com

DNA samples from two of the state's most baffling cold-case murders will be the first checked against millions of offender profiles around the world.

Interpol, the world's largest international police organisation, with 54 affiliated countries, will examine samples taken from the scene of the 1993 stabbing murder of Suzanne Poll and the shooting of Robert Sabeckis nine years ago.

South Australia Police believe the samples they have sent – if a match is found – will identify the two killers.

Major Crime detectives said the "strong" male DNA evidence in each murder belonged to the prime suspects, but the samples had not matched any of Australia's more than 323,000 DNA profiles. The murders are not linked.

"It's entirely consistent with the consciousness of guilt, that people who commit murder, flee. We're not saying that's happened, but it's a possibility that hasn't been explored.

In SA, DNA samples are taken from criminals serving a jail term and from suspects interviewed by police over serious crimes with penalties including jail terms.

Shop assistant and mother of two Mrs Poll, 36, was stabbed more than 10 times in a frenzied attack at a newsagency in Parabanks shopping centre, Salisbury.

Her killer burst into the Sands & McDougall shop where she worked and repeatedly stabbed her with a knife. The killer was injured in the struggle and he left his blood and a clear footprint in a pool of Ms Poll's blood on the office floor.

 

[latinoheat]

Here's the original b/w identikit, he looks a bit scruffy.

He would have been 19 or so at the time ? Thought the person in the identikit picture looked older .

 

[Kurve]

New details.

Ms Matteo told the court Ms Poll had been "a soft target" and was stabbed more than 40 times with a large knife "from the back that exited her chest".

She said it was clear Ms Poll had tried to escape the attack because she "had retreated … into the office area which wasn't accessible to the public".

The prosecution also alleged Mr Tilley's DNA was found in multiple areas of the store, including on a floor, doorhandle and filing cabinet, as well as "an item in Ms Poll's handbag that was stored in the office".

Alleged cold case killer's DNA found throughout crime scene, court told

The man accused of the stabbing murder of Adelaide mother-of-two Suzanne Poll is denied bail after the prosecution revealed new details about the case against him.

www.abc.net.au

 

[nut]

Bear Brooke podcast solves another mystery

 

[Majikalex]

im surprised there hasn't been more discussion of this case on here. Tilley is still claiming he is innocent but will not take the stand in his trial. his defence lawyer states that no-one that fitted Tilley's description was seen near the scene the night of the murder. I dunno I think the photo fit picture issued by police in 1993 is amazingly accurate if you look closely. it wouldnt surprise me if Tilley wasn't actually the murderer, that someone else killed Suzanne Poll. Tilley was definitely at the scene during the murder as his blood was found. perhaps he tried to stop the murder? he claims he has PTSD, perhaps thats why. will be interesting to see if the police get a conviction, I suspect they will due to DNA evidence https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-07/suzanne-poll-murder-accused-defence-heard-in-court/100680444

 

[Kurve]

im surprised there hasn't been more discussion of this case on here. Tilley is still claiming he is innocent but will not take the stand in his trial. his defence lawyer states that no-one that fitted Tilley's description was seen near the scene the night of the murder. I dunno I think the photo fit picture issued by police in 1993 is amazingly accurate if you look closely. it wouldnt surprise me if Tilley wasn't actually the murderer, that someone else killed Suzanne Poll. Tilley was definitely at the scene during the murder as his blood was found. perhaps he tried to stop the murder? he claims he has PTSD, perhaps thats why. will be interesting to see if the police get a conviction, I suspect they will due to DNA evidence https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-12-07/suzanne-poll-murder-accused-defence-heard-in-court/100680444

He should speak up and say what happened, he could do that by unsworn statement from the dock at trial but this far down the track it might not go over very well.

 

[DropBearess]

Jury has found him guilty.

 

[Majikalex]

more details emerge. Suzanne Poll was stabbed over 40 times. some wounds penetrated her back and went right through her body and exited her chest. both her thumbs were severed, perhaps defensive wounds. She was also r*ped. Tilley's family abused the Poll family in court.

 

[DropBearess]

Tilley was sentenced today for a minimum of 26 years. Totally inadequate.

 

[utility]

Tilley was sentenced today for a minimum of 26 years. Totally inadequate.

I thought I read it as life with a non-parole period of 26 years. Given his age that's close to a non-parole sentence.

 

[Macca180]

Tilley was sentenced today for a minimum of 26 years. Totally inadequate.

For Australia that seems actually quite good. The amount of murderers that only do 15 to 20 is astonishing.

 

[GreyCrow]

South Australia has a 20/life for murder.

Circumstances dictate whether its at the lower end of 20 for parole or higher

 

[Butters and Pepper]

Is the brother going to get charged for property (microphone) damage?

I thought it was Alan Bond for a second there.