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In West Virginia, police exhume body of suspect in 1975 murder of Montreal teenager

May 8, 2023 | 9:14 AM

MONTREAL — Police in Longueil, Que., say the body of a suspect in the 1975 murder of a Montreal teenager has been exhumed in the United States.

Sgt. Francis Charette says DNA tests are currently being conducted on the remains of Franklin Maywood Romine, who died in 1982.

Romine’s body was exhumed from a West Virginia cemetery last week.

Charette says Romine was identified through new investigative techniques and that investigators have confirmed he was present in Montreal at the time 16-year-old Sharron Prior was raped and murdered.

He says Romine matches the physical description of the suspect and that he had a long record of violent crimes, including sexual assaults.

Charette says it will take at least two weeks to obtain results of the DNA tests.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 8, 2023.

The Canadian Press

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