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A Connecticut judge declared a mistrial in the case of an 11-year-old girl who was raped and murdered over a revelation involving decades-old evidence.
Marc Karun, 60, was on trial on murder and kidnapping charges stemming from the alleged murder of Kathleen Flynn. according FOX 61.
Flynn, a sixth-grade student, was allegedly walking home from Ponus Ridge Middle School in Norwalk when she was attacked on September 23, 1986. Her body was found in the woods along a path to nearby Hunters Lane.
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Eleven-year-old Kathleen Flynn was abducted while walking home from school in Norwalk, Connecticut, on September 23, 1986. Her body was later found in the woods near Hunters Lane. (Norwalk Police Services Department)
While the case was frozen for a time, Karun was arrested at his home in Stetson, Maine, in 2019.
During Karun's trial in Stamford last week, prosecutors revealed that they received an email from retired Norwalk Police Lt. Robert Fabrizzio revealing that shortly after Flynn's body was discovered, a state crime lab officer informed him that she had been disposed of in a used body bag, FOX 61 reported.
Fabrizzio allegedly informed prosecutors that he was concerned about the possibility of contamination of evidence in the case, prompting Judge John Blawie to declare a mistrial, although he did not dismiss the charges against Karun.
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Marc Karun, 60, was on trial on murder and kidnapping charges stemming from the alleged murder of Kathleen Flynn in 1986, according to FOX 61. (Norwalk Police Services Department)
The state crime lab official who made the revelation about the body bag was Henry Lee, 87, a famous forensic scientist who previously worked on the OJ Simpson murder trial and worked as head of the lab at the time, according to FOX 61.
Lee died last month.
“We are obviously disappointed by this turn of events, especially for Kathy Flynn's family members, who have waited 40 years for justice and some degree of closure,” State Attorney Paul Ferencek said in a statement, FOX 61 reported.
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Kathleen Flynn was kidnapped while walking home from Ponus Ridge High School in Norwalk, Connecticut, on September 23, 1986. (Google maps)
Prosecutors are now working with the medical examiner's office and the state crime lab to verify whether the revelation is true.
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The information surrounding the body bag reportedly came as a surprise to crime lab officials, agency spokesman Rick Green said.
“This is all a surprise to us. We stand by our testimony in the case,” Green said in a statement to Fox News Digital, adding that the agency had no further comment.
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Karun previously served 10 years behind bars after being convicted of sexually assaulting or kidnapping four other female victims during the 1980s, FOX 61 reported.
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Advances in DNA testing technology and the case's similarities to other Karun attacks allegedly led investigators to arrest him in 2019.
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Shortly after Karun's arrest, police found nearly 90 guns inside his Maine home, which he was prohibited from possessing as a convicted felon, according to FOX 61.
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In 2024, he pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges stemming from the allegations and will be sentenced this summer.
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Karun remains in custody on $5 million bail.
The State Attorney's Office and Karun's defense attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
