A 66-year-old man has been charged in connection with a homicide that took place in Edmonton nearly two decades ago.
On May 9, 2002, Edmonton police were called to a home in the area of 99 Street and 86 Avenue where a body was found under a bed inside the house.
The next day, an autopsy confirmed the victim — 59-year-old Thomas Longmore — was a victim of a homicide. However, police said investigators “lacked evidence to lay charges.”
In January 2019, the file was opened for review and the EPS Historical Crimes Section resubmitted exhibits to the RCMP for forensic testing. Police said Monday that the results of testing identified a DNA profile that led officers to a suspect.
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Last Thursday, police arrested Denis Laframboise, 66, and charged him with second-degree murder.
“This is exactly why we review historical homicide files,” Staff Sgt. Ryan Tebb with EPS Historical Crimes Section said in a media release Monday.
“While DNA testing at the time wasn’t sophisticated enough to identify a suspect, today’s technology has made it possible to do so, and hopefully bring a sense of resolution to the victim’s family.”
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Established in 2018, the EPS Historical Crimes Section is made up of 10 officers who investigate historical homicides, missing persons and cold case sexual assaults. Police said the four homicide detectives in the section currently have a caseload of 202 unsolved homicides dating from 1938 to 2017.