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Mary McLaughlin was murdered in 1984. Almost 30 years later, her killer was arrested
In 1984, it was not thought that it would be possible to discover a killer through cigarette butts or strands of hair. Science has made many advances, and so has the case of Mary McLaughlin.
In the early hours of September 27, 1984, in Glasgow, United Kingdom, Mary McLaughlin left a bar towards his home. He was 58 years old and had 11 children.
A taxi driver who knew her reported seeing Mary being followed by a young man, who ended up going up to her apartment and murder Mary, by strangulation.
She was only found in her apartment on October 2, by her 24-year-old son. She was naked, lying on her back on a mattress.
Samples collected in 1984 included locks of Mary’s hair, nail clippings and cigarette buttssays , but at the time experts “They didn’t know about DNA profile analysis. They could not have known the value they could have”, explains the director of forensic investigation at the Scottish Police Authority, Tom Nelson, in the BBC documentary.
It was only almost 30 years later that it was finally possible to carry out an analysis of the DNA contained in the cigarettes identified at the crime scene, which named Scottish sex offender Graham McGill as the perpetrator. Problem: this man was arrested when Mary was murdered. How was this possible? This is where the enigma intensifies. “How could he have committed the crime if he was in prison?” asks the investigator.
More forensic evidence was needed to conclude the case. It was then that the team decided to analyze the string from the robe with which Mary was strangled. It also contained McGill’s DNA.
It was then that one of the inspectors decided to look elsewhere: in the National Records of Scotland. And it was then that he found a prison document with the criminal’s name. It said: McGill – TFF. Mystery solved: in the UK, TFF stands for Training for Freedom, meaning McGill took two days of weekend leave.
Almost 30 years later, in 2019, the killer was arrested — all thanks to a blessed one. 30 years ago, who would have thought it would be possible to use it to solve a crime?
