Washington man's conviction reversed in 1987 murders of Vancouver Island couple
A Washington state man convicted of killing a young couple from Saanich, B.C., more than three decades ago will get a new trial after an appeals court reversed his conviction due to a juror's bias.
William Earl Talbott II was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in July 2019 for the 1987 murders of Tanya Van Cuylenborg, 18, and her 20-year-old boyfriend, Jay Cook.
Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jack Cook, shown in this image from "Washington's Most Wanted" were both murdered in 1987.
Talbott's conviction hinged on DNA evidence and investigative techniques that match DNA profiles from public genealogy databases. But a Washington state appellate court ruled Monday that one of the trial jurors demonstrated bias during the jury selection process with regards to her own experiences with violence and abuse.
"I’m an emotional person as it is, and I try to be very, very logical and methodical in decisions I make in my life and, you know, trying to see both sides of everything," the juror told the lawyers during the selection process, according to the appeals court ruling.
"But like I said, if it’s a case involving violence and women, it’s just something that I’ve already experienced in my life, and I fear that I will always inherently have as a mother, so that’s just the one thing that I probably couldn’t get past," the juror said.
She added that seeing graphic photos – like the kind that were later presented at trial – might "cloud my judgment."
The three judges on the appellate court panel wrote in their decision that after "her clear, repeated expressions of actual bias as to the precise nature of the allegations at the heart of this trial and evidence which would be introduced, we cannot conclude that juror 40 was sufficiently rehabilitated such that Talbott was provided a fair and impartial jury."
BODIES DISCOVERED
Van Cuylenborg and Cook disappeared in November 1987 after driving their van from Vancouver Island to Seattle for an overnight trip.
When the couple didn't return, their families began a frantic search for them, including renting a plane to try to spot their copper-coloured Ford van.
Van Cuylenborg's body was found about a week later down an embankment in rural Skagit County, north of Seattle. She was naked from the waist down and had been shot in the back of the head.
Hunters found Cook's body two days later near a bridge over the Snoqualmie River in Monroe, Wash., approximately 95 kilometres from where his girlfriend was discovered.
He had been beaten with rocks and strangled with twine and two dog collars.
The couple's van was found in Bellingham, Wash., near a bus station. Van Cuylenborg's pants were in the van, where investigators found semen, and said it matched that on her body.
Investigators later determined the semen belonged to Talbott, who was arrested in 2018, after picking up his discarded coffee cup and testing the DNA from it.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.