Episode 186 - From Darkness to Light - How DNA Resurrected The Sharron Prior Case
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Hey, I'm Ryan Reynolds. Recently, I asked Mint Mobile's legal team if big wireless companies are allowed to raise prices due to inflation. They said yes. And then when I asked if raising prices technically violates those onerous two-year contracts, they said, what the f*** are you talking about, you insane Hollywood a**hole?

So to recap, we're cutting the price of Mint Unlimited from $30 a month to just $15 a month. Give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. $45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. Speeds lower above 40 gigabytes per detail. The opinions expressed in the following episode do not necessarily reflect those of the Minds of Madness podcast. Listener discretion is advised. ♪♪

In 1978, the Allure family endured the irreparable loss of their daughter and sister Teresa when she mysteriously vanished off a campus in Quebec one night after missing the only bus that could have safely taken her back to her residence. Initially, police didn't even look for her, theorizing she'd probably run away or stumbled off into a ditch somewhere on drugs.

The following year, Teresa's body was discovered by a muskrat trapper near a farmer's field in a bog. Unfortunately, because of the advanced stage of decomposition, police had very few clues to go on. Only a little clothing left on Teresa's body.

Years later, as DNA research opened doors to track down violent offenders, police had failed Teresa again by misplacing the evidence bag containing her clothes. Almost three decades later, the family's frustration led them to take matters into their own hands, organizing a search party in a forested area related to two murders, including Teresa's.

Joining their search was Yvonne Pryor, a mother who knew all too well the anguish the Allure family were living through. She too had suffered the loss of a daughter and was encountering similar frustrations with law enforcement, trying to solve a cold case even colder than Teresa's. But despite both cases growing colder, both families' resolve and determination only seemed to grow.

Join me now as we look into the murder of Sharon Pryor and a family whose unwavering love ignited hope and drove them to persevere against overwhelming odds. You'll learn how advancements in DNA technology would eventually point to her murderer, a man who fully intended on taking his dark secret with him to the grave.

Saturday, March 28th, 1975 in Montreal was an above freezing day with other signs of spring beginning to emerge.

It was Easter weekend, and that evening at 7pm, 22-year-old Cheryl Roy decided to walk to the pharmacy to pick up some diapers for her baby. Her route took her along Rue de Ber, a southern corner of Point St. Charles, a predominantly Irish and Quebecois working neighborhood of Montreal at the time, nicknamed "The Point" by locals. The streets were usually quiet.

except for the sporadic sound of passing trains coming across the frozen fields just to the south.

The houses, largely built in the early 20th century, stand closely packed, forming rows separated by spacious alleys running behind the backyards. Decades earlier, these alleys functioned as pathways for home deliveries, with items like milk being transported by horse-drawn wagons and subsequently by trucks. As Cheryl walked along the street toward the pharmacy, a man casually strolled past her.

Moments later, she was startled by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from behind. When she turned to see who it was, she realized it was the same man who'd just passed her. But before she could react, the man swiftly wrapped one arm around her waist and clamped the other one around her neck with a knife gripped tightly in his hand.

As the man pulled Cheryl's head back, Cheryl offered him her purse, but he had no intention on robbing her. He wanted her. As Cheryl struggled to break free, the knife cut her hand and nicked her neck. He

He then threw her against a brick wall, grabbed her by the hair and started to drag her away when Cheryl knocked the knife from his hand. When he reached down trying to retrieve the knife, Cheryl continued to struggle and scream when out of nowhere, a local 12-year-old boy came running up, yelling at the attacker.

Heroic actions that most certainly saved Cheryl's life that day, because the boy had actually managed to startle the man enough that he took off running into the night. Although Cheryl was able to describe her attacker to police, it wouldn't be enough to stop him before he struck again. 16-year-old Sharon Pryor lived with her mother Yvonne, her 14-year-old twin sisters Maureen and Doreen,

her 11-year-old brother Jojo, and five-year-old foster sibling Steven. Growing up, Sharon aspired to become a veterinarian and was known to bring home stray animals. Her fascination with science led her to convert her bedroom into a makeshift laboratory on the third floor of the family's home, where she conducted experiments and stored various samples.

The Saturday morning before Cheryl Roy had been attacked, Sharon boiled eight eggs and set them aside to cool while her mother went shopping for chocolate eggs and whatever else she needed for Easter dinner.

When she got back home, Yvonne and Sharon sat at the kitchen table as Sharon painted one half of the eggs, leaving the other half to dry before finishing them. Just past 3.30, Sharon took little Steven with her to the local Boys and Girls Club, a recreation center for kids and teens in the area. She'd won a jacket for selling off raffle tickets and was on her way to collect it.

But when she arrived, they didn't have her size and gave her a receipt promising to provide the correct size when it became available. As she and Stephen left, Sharon wondered if she should have ordered a smaller size for Stephen because he'd outgrown his spring coat.

Back at home, Sharon sat with her mother at the kitchen table and finished painting the Easter eggs. A little later, a friend of Sharon's dropped by, and they joked as Sharon tried on different tops before heading out to meet her friends and boyfriend that evening at a pizzeria. Finally, Sharon decided on wearing one of her mother's sweaters.

As she walked out the door, her friend offered to walk Sharon over to the pizzeria, but Sharon said she'd be fine, and the two girls headed off in different directions. It should have taken Sharon less than eight minutes to get there, but she never arrived.

Later that night, Sharon's mother, Yvonne, noticed her daughter hadn't arrived home. Sharon was always punctual, or at least phoned home if she was going to be late. As time dragged on, Yvonne took to wordly waiting and watching out the living room window while the twins looked out the back from their bedroom.

But Sharon didn't return that night. In the morning, Yvonne phoned around to Sharon's friends, but no one had seen her. In fact, they claimed she hadn't even shown up to the pizzeria that night.

Yvonne then heard about the attempted abduction of Cheryl Roy, and her worry turned to panic. By this point, it was Easter Sunday, and a search party of about 200 people had already been organized to search the surrounding neighborhood, but without success.

In the following days, Sharon's siblings sat under a blanket of dread as they waited and watched out the window for Sharon to come home. But Sharon would never come home. Yvonne hardly slept over the next few days. Then, early Wednesday morning, she saw a neighbor with a newspaper under his arm going to a residence across the street.

When Yvonne shouted at him, he walked over, meeting her halfway. She then reached for the newspaper tucked under his arm and glanced at it. The front page story was about a young woman's body being found the night before. Alongside the article was a large haunting photo, a pair of shoes in the snow, shoes Yvonne instantly recognized. They were Sharon's.

The evening before, a beekeeper found Sharon's body in a field near where he kept his beehives in Long Gale, on the south shore of Montreal, about 10 miles from the point. It was clear that Sharon's last few moments before she died must have been as terrifying as they were agonizing. The autopsy determined she'd been brutally attacked and raped,

Her official cause of death was asphyxiation, and the time of death was considered to be sometime Tuesday afternoon. Sergeant Detective Rassico would later summarize the crime scene.

On Tuesday, April 1st, 1975, Sharon Pryor's body was found in a weathered area of our city in Long Beach. The crime scene is approximately 15 miles from the kidnapping. Sharon was lying on her back in the snow.

And at the crime scene, we could see that the shaman's pants had been removed from her and it was found six feet away from her. Also, her underwear was removed and found on the crime scene. It was hanging on a tree ten feet away from her. White tape was stuck in her hair as well as on her wrists, and we think that they were both used as restraints.

The victim's coat had also been removed from her and placed over her face. A blue men's shirt had been attached by the sleeve to the back loop of her coat and was used also as restraints.

The beekeeper told police he'd gotten a call from a neighbor telling him the gate leading into the field was open, so he went to check it out. Police detectives investigating the crime scene believed the assailant, or assailants, drove into the field, carried the body 15 feet to where it was found, and then threw the remainder of Sharon's clothes from the car.

The blue shirt was also found, which police believed had been used to restrain Sharon. The shirt's collar size was 17, the sleeves 34 inches, which would have meant the man who owned the shirt was approximately 6 feet tall.

They theorized that the tape tangled in Sharon's hair had actually been used to gag her, while the tape around her wrists had obviously been used to restrain her. In some frozen mud near Sharon's body, they found tire print impressions from a new radial tire police thought might help them identify the car used to abduct Sharon. Other clues included the lock on the gate to the field Sharon had been found

According to the beekeeper, it was normally locked, but it wasn't when the beekeeper stumbled upon Sharon's body. Police suspected that the perpetrator had prior knowledge of the location and had deliberately chosen it, anticipating that Sharon's body would remain undetected until spring, when beekeeping activities resumed. At the gate post,

Police found a footprint they believed was made by someone wearing a size 8.5 running shoe. The depth of the footprint suggested the man weighed about 200 pounds. One theory police initially considered was that Sharon might have actually accepted a ride from her attacker. Another theory was that she'd been kept prisoner for three days before being murdered. After finding traces of Sharon's blood between

Between where her body was found and where the tire prints were located, they wondered if perhaps she'd been beaten before being removed from the car. And because there was no mud on her shoes or socks, police suspected she'd been carried to her final resting spot by two people. Police also thought...

Sharon was probably still alive when she was dumped under the trees, as she was found tightly clutching branches in one hand. Police would eventually link Sharon's murder to Cheryl Roy's attack. Consider this a link to be related to Sharon's murder, since it happened on the road Sharon prior took to go to the pizzeria. So it was on his way.

We think she probably faced the assailant, the same man that attacked Cheryl Ward. So Cheryl Ward described her attacker as follows. She said it's an English-speaking white male, 28 years old, 6'2", 210 pounds, blue eyes, brown hair, wears a moustache, and was wearing a blue ski coat.

A few days later, pallbearers would carry Sharon Pryor's coffin out to the St. Matthew's Presbyterian Church, where 400 people gathered for the funeral. But although Sharon's body had been laid to rest, her family was just getting started and would not rest until they brought the murderer to justice.

Every year since Sharon's murder, Yvonne would place a commemorative note in the local newspaper in hopes of keeping her daughter's murder at the forefront of everyone's minds, a practice she continued for the next 48 years.

A year into the investigation, police were still no further ahead than they were two days after Sharon's abduction. They'd interviewed 122 people, detained and questioned another 31, considering six of them to be prime suspects.

Chief Inspector Pierre Duquette would later tell the Montreal Gazette that 40 of those people were excluded by either their DNA or by wiretaps. Another 60 were excluded for different reasons, such as having been incarcerated at the time or because the information was unfounded.

They also discovered that the padlock to the field Sharon's body had been found only had two keys, and both were accounted for.

From there, the case only continued to grow colder and colder until 25 years passed by. Over the decades, the Pryor family was persistently in pursuit of justice for Sharon, keeping pressure on police while going about their own investigating.

Then, in early 2000, with the advances made in DNA research, Yvonne asked police to review the evidence in Sharon's case, hoping there might be DNA still preserved on Sharon's clothes that could identify her killer. But to Yvonne's disbelief, she learned the evidence had been misplaced.

Miraculously, police eventually managed to locate the ever-important clothing. Even more miraculous, they even managed to find enough of the offender's DNA on the blue shirt found at the scene. The only problem, which was a big one, there wasn't enough of a sample to get much of a DNA profile.

That same year, Sharon's family decided to start a website and blog they hoped would help keep Sharon's name and cause alive. In contrast to the prevailing media tendency to sensationalize the manner of a victim's death, the website provided details about Sharon's hobbies, interests, and her last day alive, a day that would forever alter the significance of Easter for the Pryor family.

The website also posted old newspaper stories from the murder, information about other families going through similarly horrific situations. Then, almost out of nowhere, in 2004, almost 30 years after Sharon had been murdered, police began reinvestigating her case after receiving a tip.

The tip alerted police to a garage behind an apartment building, which would have been on Sharon's route to the pizzeria. But after two dozen police officers searched the garage, they ultimately came up with nothing.

In time, the website and Facebook page Sharon's family had started had thousands of followers. And by now, Yvonne's focus didn't only include tracking down her own daughter's murderer. She had expanded her focus to helping other families suffering similar losses. It was also during this time the Pryors considered the possibility that Sharon's murder could be related to others.

One case in particular that resonated with them was the disappearance of Teresa Allure. If you remember, we covered Teresa's case with the help of her younger brother, John Allure, in a three-part series released way back in her very early days.

Over the years, John would become renowned for his unwavering advocacy for missing persons in cold cases, starting a podcast called Who Killed Teresa? And in collaboration with Patricia Pearson, also co-authored a book chronicling his personal investigation into his sister's murder.

His mission also encompassed raising awareness and effecting change in the way investigations into missing persons cases are carried out, advocating for improved police procedures. As John Allure and Yvonne Pryor worked together with other families to find answers, Sharon's case, once again, slipped into the background for another decade.

But then, in 2012, almost 37 years after Sharon's body was found, police announced that an anonymous donor had put up a $10,000 reward for any tips leading to the arrest or prosecution of the murderer. As the story was carried in the news, police took advantage of the publicity and set up a mobile control unit near the pizzeria where Sharon was heading the night she was attacked.

The Pryor family also took the opportunity to circulate a thousand flyers throughout the neighborhood, creating even more publicity. Crushingly, for the Pryors, however, this didn't result in any new evidence or leads for the case. Finally, a few years later in 2015, it felt like Sharon's case was going to finally search forward, though not from information from the public.

Instead, it would be from the ongoing evolution of DNA research.

In Montreal, the Quebec Judicial Sciences and Legal Medicine Laboratory sequenced a complete DNA profile from the blue shirt used to restrain Sharon. Unfortunately, there wasn't a match in Canada's national DNA database. But in 2019, Detective Rasko told the press there had been another small DNA breakthrough. Between July and August 2019,

a D.A.D. sample from the suspect at the crime scene was submitted to Parabell Man Lab. So we send the D.A.D. sample to them for what we call a snapshot.

Pneotyping. Quickly, Pneotyping provides predictions of human appearance from a DNA sample. So, in this case, the snapshot prediction results matches to a man with fair or very fair skin, green or hazel eyes, brown hair, and a slight chance to have very frequent.

This new information only added to the physical description of the killer. But with this area of crime detection evolving so rapidly, Detective Rassico was soon able to send the shirt and Sharon's jeans back in for testing in 2022. This time, complete samples were found that matched DNA found on the killer's shirt and on Sharon's clothing.

Later in Montreal, the laboratory proposed trying a new technique to identify the killer, which involved analyzing the Y chromosome within the DNA sample. On June 8, 2022,

or Montreal Laboratory of Forensic Science and Legal Medicine analyzed the suspect Y chromosome DNA for comparison with PIST database. So again, the Y chromosome of a man is passed down from father to son, it is the same from generation to generation, for all men belonging the same paternal line.

The Y chromosome plays a crucial role in comparing any given sample with others in databases like 23andMe or Ancestry.com, aiding in the identification of relatives. These databases are often comprehensive enough to identify all individuals considered relatives, with the average person having approximately 500 fifth cousins, along with various other cousins within that spectrum.

These sites also identify people who sign up by name, and Detective Rasko finally found the name he'd been looking for. This analysis result made it possible to target the priority name Romine or Rolling. After that, between June 9th

2022 and today, I checked those two names Romain and Romaine in our various database and I found an individual by the name of Franklin Romaine, which date of birth is April 2, 1946. I found out that his last two known addresses are in Montreal and Montgogne.

So in 1975, he was living at 5720 Descaribou Ward in Montreal, which is about maybe around six miles from the abduction point of Sharon. Also in January 1976, he was then living at 204 Portneuf Street in Longueuil, which is four miles from the Prime City.

As detectives navigated the intricate path of DNA familial research, it appeared they were drawing closer to a conclusive identification of their primary suspect.

In early February 1974, a 23-year-old woman was startled awake by the sound of shattering glass in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Someone was breaking into her home through the back door. As she got out of bed and made her way to the hallway to peer downstairs, she spotted the intruder, 28-year-old Franklin Maywood Romine. She recognized him because she'd met him earlier that month.

He'd been working in town at a local upholstery shop and often dropped by for lunch at the diner she waitressed at. On a one-chance encounter, Franklin had asked her out on a date, and here he was now, breaking into her home. When she asked him what he was doing, he said he wanted her from the first time they'd met, and he was going to have her even if he had to kill her.

By this point, the woman's four-year-old son had also been jolted awake and walked out of his bedroom to see what was going on. Conceding that Franklin was going to rape her, she sent her son back into his bedroom and asked for assurances that Franklin would not harm her son if she didn't resist. After raping her, Franklin threw down a $20 bill before leaving.

Absolutely terrified, the woman waited until the lights in the neighboring homes turned on before calling police. On his podcast, retired Parkersburg Chief of Police Officer Newell explained he'd been sent out to the scene with another patrolman to take down the victim's statement.

Franklin was soon arrested and charged with burglary and rape, but was soon released after posting Bond for the amount of only $2,500. For someone who had a lengthy prison record that included a previous attempt to escape the Moundsville penitentiary, Newell suggested it was almost inexplicable that he would have been allowed to post Bond.

especially on a capital offense that you could receive a life sentence for. Franklin almost immediately left the area and eventually wound up in Quebec, Canada. After Cheryl Roy's attack and Sharon Pryor's brutal murder, police had no clue who they were looking for, and it probably would have stayed that way.

Without knowing his criminal background, there was no reason for Franklin to ever end up on their radar. Then, six months after Sharon's murder, Franklin was arrested in Montreal on an outstanding fugitive warrant and extradited back to the U.S. to stand trial for burglary and rape.

Officer Newell points out that at that time, the courts permitted the integrity and character of the victims in rape trials to be questioned by defense attorneys. This disturbing practice often involved scrutinizing the personal lives and behavior of the survivors, a tactic employed to cast doubt on the validity of their rape claim and undermine their credibility in the eyes of the jury and public.

At Franklin's trial, the victim admitted she had a boyfriend when she agreed to go out on a date with him and that she also had a child out of wedlock.

Franklin told the jury he'd left the $20 because he'd accidentally broken the window while knocking on the back door. But the jury didn't buy Franklin's explanation and found him guilty of burglary and capital rape and gave him a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 20 years.

Franklin had been serving his time when in 1981, the West Virginia Supreme Court overturned his conviction because of faulty instructions to the jury.

Franklin then pled guilty to a lesser charge of second-degree sexual assault and was soon released for time already being served. In 1981, Franklin returned to Canada and soon met his own violent death, which Newell says Canadian authorities believe was orchestrated by organized crime figures in Montreal.

His body was eventually returned to West Virginia, where he was buried. After learning about Franklin Romine's criminal history and his time in Quebec, Longdale police were certain he was the man they'd been looking for. While detectives believed they'd found their suspect, there was still a holdup.

With a case that was 48 years old, it felt like it was necessary to have absolute proof for the family and the public that the killer had been found. In early 2023, Detective Rassico gave testimony to a West Virginia judge to obtain permission to get Franklin Maywood Roman's DNA from his remains.

However, Franklin's family, although cooperative with police, didn't want their mother's grave disturbed in the process and declined to give their consent.

Detective Rosico basically had to prove his case in one shot, testifying by Skype, to hopefully convince the West Virginia judge of the merits of the Longdale Police Department's argument. He started by first expressing that the case still had strong public interest. Because it has been in history for decades, it has received extensive media coverage, including several TV shows here.

This is probably the most famous cold case in the province of Quebec, even in Canada. It was a real shock in the community back then. Detective Rasico then emphasized the family's deep grief and persistent efforts over the decades to keep this cold case alive in pursuit of justice for Sharon's murder. I think it's an understatement to say that the victim's family was devastated

The mother of Sean Pryor, Yvonne Pryor, is still alive and she's now 85. She spent her whole life trying to find her daughter's killer. That's why we never gave up on it over the years. Of course, Sean's mother wants to know once and for all who killed her daughter. Sean's brother and twin sisters are alive as well.

His grieving family is still affected by this horrible crime and they're still looking for answers. Detective Rasko then went on to try and convince the judge by getting to the facts of the case. So on Saturday, March 29, 1975, around 7:15 p.m., Sharon prior left her maternity home to go see her friends at the pizza place called Marina.

That restaurant was located only 600 meters away. I think for you guys it's 0.3 miles from her home. And her friends confirmed to us that she never showed up at the restaurant. So on the same day in Rochefouille, the same time as Sharon Pryor disappeared, an important event took place in the same area.

Detective Rasko detailed the attempted abduction of Cheryl Roy and provided the description of the attacker she gave police. He wanted to stress that it was significant that the attacker spoke English in a predominantly French-speaking city. The suspect told her in English not to scream and to follow him. He also told her when she fights back, you bitch, you're coming with me.

So that is an important fact since the official language in Montreal was and still is French. So the suspect is English speaking. The victim took advantage of the approach of passers-by to push back the suspect and move clearly into a nearby alley.

This incident happened around 7 p.m. And it's why we consider this incident to be related to Shannon's murder. Since it happened on the road Shannon prior took to go to the pizzeria. So it was on his way. We think she probably chased the assailant, the same man that attacked Shannon Wolfe.

After emphasizing that Sharon Pryor was walking in the direction of the assailant, Detective Rasko detailed the crime scene where Sharon's body was later found more than three days later, again outlining the key evidence they had. After outlining the footprint found in the mud,

and the blue shirt that appeared to be used to restrain Sharon. Setting up the physical description of the perpetrator was between 5'10 and 6'2. He then established where the DNA was found. All in all, the scientific evidence demonstrates that the killer left his DNA on the panties and pants that were taken off the victim.

Also, the same profile was found of the blue man's shirt that was used to tie the victim. According to the autopsy, the victim died of an association, but also she died of neurostatial fractures and strangulation. So, in other words, she was brutally beaten to death.

Detective Rasko then went on to stress that according to the pathologist report, Sharon had been violently sexually assaulted. And then, before getting on to discussing the route that DNA research had taken over the years, noted another key piece of evidence he would later come back to. Dire tracks were found on the scene. They were measured and photographed.

and expertise carried out by the RCMP has determined that those tracks belong to a Silverguard series radial tire with white stripes. So between 1971 and 1975, these types of tires could be used on 37 different models. This is a major make that is very important to us, which is a Randier Mage.

On the strength of the DNA evidence leading police to identify Franklin Maywood Romine, they were able to find out he'd lived in at least two locations in Montreal, with the abduction point of Sharon in between the two. So he used to live near those two important places.

We also found out that Franklin Romine is a US citizen. He was born in Dunkington in West Virginia in 1946, but he died in Burdung in Canada in 1982 at the age of 36. So now Burdung is a district located in Montreal, right next to where Sharon used to live.

The information gleaned from the DNA research, including the construction of the family tree, determined that there were four males who could be a match. Out of those four individuals, only one was on record of having been in Montreal, Canada. Detective Rassico then segued back to the tire tracks.

In March 7, 2023, I checked Frank and Romain in the Archivex vehicle register database and found out that the last model of car he owned was a Red Grandeur Revolve 1968. So this model is compatible with the tire tracks taken from the crime scene.

And then Detective Rasko brought up another bombshell, showing Franklin had an interesting connection to Sharon Pryor's neighborhood. It kind of looks like he bought that car in 1975 from the previous owner of this vehicle, which is a lady by the name of Ellen Pusey.

In 1975, Miss Coetzee lived at 463 Bourgeois Street in Montreal. And what is very interesting, and I bring your attention to the fact that this address is only two blocks away from Cheryl's house. So it was very close. So it's 270 meters, so 885 feet from her house.

Then on November 30th, 2022, Rasico said he received the criminal record of Franklin Romine from the West Virginia Archives, detailing his criminal record, adding further confirmation that this was their man. I found out that he has an extensive U.S. criminal record from 1955 to 1974.

including breaking and injury, grand larceny, and multiple prison breaks, past, and periving, if in wrong, dangerous before, within, and rape.

Rassico then established Franklin's familiarity with Montreal, mentioning four times when he'd gone to Montreal between 1969 and 1981. Most importantly, according to his father, Franklin was not incarcerated at the time of the murder.

Razzico then followed the sequence of events, from Franklin being out on parole in November 1973 through his rape charges, and ultimately fleeing to Montreal where he abducted and murdered Sharon Pryor, and subsequently arrested and extradited to face charges in West Virginia.

Rassico described coming across a prison record from 1969 that gave Franklin's physical description, which was a close match to the one Cheryl Roy gave. Rassico also confirmed that Franklin's sister had given the same physical characteristics and also had a photograph of her brother with a mustache, as Cheryl Roy explained.

Other family members also remembered their brother having a mustache at times. Having covered all the circumstantial evidence one could reasonably expect, Rassico returned to more DNA identification, confirming that Franklin's two brothers had consented to give their DNA samples and that one of them had offered up a disturbing anecdote.

Noah Romine spontaneously gave a clear to the detectives from Huntington Police that his brother probably did the murder of Sharon. You have to know that Noah served in the Marine Corps from 1972 to 1978. And during his time in the Marines, his brother, Franklin Romine, attempted to rape his wife.

So he attempted to rape Nguyen Hoang's wife. As a result, he and his brother were never close again. Franklin's other brother also offered information about his brother. He told the detectives from Sarasota police that he wouldn't be surprised if his brother did this murder. Franklin told them one time that he killed a man but without specific details.

He also confirms that his brother Franklin died in Canada. He thinks he was again killed by the Montreal organist crime. He confirms that he was a violent man who has already been incarcerated in Monsville and Porksburg.

Detective Rassico then concluded his testimony by confirming that the DNA sample they had of Franklin Romine could have only have come from the same paternal line as the brothers who volunteered their DNA. In fact, he pointed out the odds of it being anyone other than Franklin Romine were 140 million to one in the Caucasian population.

In other words, the profile of the tailor of "Pain on the Blue Shirt" comes from a brother of Noah and Michael Eugenio I, but it's not Noah Ben.

Detective Rassico made it clear that the police force back in Montreal had made every possible effort to find Franklin Romine's DNA, so far without success, in an attempt to avoid needing to exhume his body. But it was clear, as he related his testimony, that getting closure for Yvonne Pryor and her family was key, and the main reason now why it was necessary.

That's why we want to get DNA of Franklin and Romain on his burial sites. We don't want to cause any prejudice against the Romain family. We only want to ease the pain of the victim's family. And I think, we think that the only way to do that

He's biopaying the casket of Frankenstein to get his deity and to confirm once and for all that he is the killer of Shannon's boy.

West Virginia police have been extremely sympathetic and supportive since Quebec police first made contact with them. But it was now up to the Putnam County Circuit Court Judge Philip Stowers to decide. The judge had to decide whether to rule against a local West Virginia family or allow Franklin Romine's grave to remain undisturbed.

Franklin's family had a legitimate claim. By now, everyone knew Franklin was guilty of raping and killing Sharon Pryor. In fact, his family even freely admitted that he was likely guilty of the crime. But Detective Rassico had clearly made an argument on behalf of the Pryor family that they deserved the absolute truth, almost a kind of vindication.

Underlying this, however, there was another reason. With Franklin's DNA on record, it might be possible to link him to other cold cases. The judge soon gave his decision to dig up Franklin, inferring that not only was due diligence done in the investigation, but every reasonable effort had been made to avoid exhuming Franklin's body.

They've developed DNA evidence, they've developed location information, they've developed automobile information, body and build information relating to the decedent. And the court believes that given that, that there's sufficient cause here to order that the body be exhumed and that information for DNA purposes that needs to be retrieved will be permitted.

With respect to the Romine family, the judge made it clear that the sanctity of their mother's grave would be respected and that any damage would be by court order be restored.

With the judge's blessing, Franklin Romine's grave was promptly dug up and his DNA was retrieved. A short time later, detectives had their confirmation that DNA was confirmed to belong to Franklin Maywood Romine. At a press conference in Montreal, police were finally able to announce that they'd found Sharon Pryor's killer.

Sharon's mother, Yvonne, who was now 85 years old, and her two sisters were in attendance, having waited more than 48 years for this day. The two sisters spoke about how it was a time of mixed emotions. Certainly there was jubilation and satisfaction. Sharon's killer had finally been found and positively identified.

At the same time, it also brought up thoughts and memories of Sharon. Yes, it's been an incredible long and difficult journey for us as Sharon's younger sisters and younger brother, George, Joe. The journey began Easter weekend 1975 as we sat together huddled under a blanket looking out the window waiting hopefully for Sharon to come home. Our distraught mom

knew that for her daughter, Sharon to be home even a minute late was very out of character. Something was wrong. Something was wrong indeed. Sharon's sister spoke about how Sharon was a beautiful young lady with a heart of gold, how she excelled at sports, wanted to be a veterinarian, and was kind to every living creature. The solving of Sharon's case...

will never bring Sharon back. But knowing that her killer is no longer on this earth and cannot kill anymore brings us to somewhat of a closure this long chapter of our lives.

Sharon's sisters thanked friends who stuck by them and helped along the way, as well as the Long Gale Police Force and all the other police forces and agencies in Canada and the US, alluding to how involved they've been with similarly bereaved families. The Unsolved Murders of Quebec is not a club that anyone wants to belong to, but its members are some of the most amazing human beings you could ever hope to know.

Thank you to all of those special Quebec families for accompanying us for much of this journey while you're navigating a similar journey of your own. A special mention went out to John Allure, who spent such a long time searching for his sister Teresa's murderer. Not only had John Allure become a supporter, he'd become a friend, authoring a book on the subject of all missing young women in the 1970s and 80s, including Sharon.

Lastly, the sisters spoke again of Sharon and those dark days of Easter 1975.

Lastly, to Sharon, our angel, thank you for being our daughter and big sister. We'll always be your mom, your little brother and sisters who sat looking out that window that Easter weekend, hoping to see you walking on home. You may never have come back to Congregation Street that weekend, but you have never left our hearts and you never will. We love you, Sharon. Now, may you truly rest in peace. Thank you.

Unknown killers in cold cases are often compared to ghosts because they can walk among us unknown for their heinous crimes. This invisibility shields them from the reach of both victims' families and the law, allowing them to evade justice. Yet it's important to acknowledge that the victims themselves leave a lasting presence as well, an inspiring one.

A spirit that resides not in the darkness, but in the light. This presence serves as a driving force for their loved ones, such as the Pryor and Allure families, who persevered in their pursuit of justice, extending assistance to others, and striving to make the world a better place.

Sometimes, through unwavering determination, they succeed in bringing the ghosts of anonymous murderers out of the shadows and into the clear light of day. A testament to the enduring strength of love and the pursuit of truth.

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