How Marc Karun Got Away With Murder For 33 Years

Kathleen Flynn Marc Karun
 
 

High school senior assaulted at knife point, 1986

Marc Karun was driving with an old friend that he was sweet on from high school. Marc was 21 years old, and she was 3 years his junior, just 18 years old in her last semester at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, Connecticut, the same school Marc attended—it was where they had met.

It was 1986 and he was probably driving an old boxy coupe like an Acura Integra or an old Mazda RX-7.

Marc picked her up and said that he wanted to show her something at a nearby school—Norwalk State Technical College. It was January in New England, and it wasn’t pleasant outside. She wasn’t sure what he had in mind. There were heavy rains that day - almost 3 inches, and the weather on this particular Sunday night was bleak—the dark sky was socked in with clouds, it was still raining on and off, and it was just 40 degrees. Nevertheless, she agreed to go.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the school, he said he wanted her to come with him down by the river that ran through town, Fivemile River. It ran right behind the school’s campus. She got out of the car, and thought about it for a moment, and then protested. “I don’t want to get my feet wet walking through the woods.” The look that he gave her betrayed that something was about to go terribly wrong.

He insisted again, “Come on, I just want to show you something cool down by the river.” And when she refused, he grabbed her arm, taking away her choice, and aggressively dragged her to the woods.

Once they got off the pavement and grass and entered the forested patch, the bank sloped sharply down to the river. She knew this river. She knew this school. It was her home.

Marc lived just a mile and a half away, and if you were to visit this river, this spot today, you would find it mostly the same: a quiet, middle-class suburban community, perched just off of I-95. It was one of the many growing bedroom communities north of New York City that was a bastion of safety and comfort for many working parents and their children. A place where bad things didn’t happen.

She screamed for him to stop, but he pulled out a knife, holding it to her throat, demanding that she not make another sound. She didn’t want to die. Plus, any noise that she made would be masked by the gurgling river or absorbed by the matted wet leaves that surrounded them on the forest floor.

He told her to turn around and put her hands behind her back.

He had been planning this. He had been replaying a video in his mind leading to this moment. And now his plan was working.

He pulled out some electrical wire from his jacket, just the right length, and began to loop it around her hands. He had practiced how to do this, and he knew how to make it impossible for her to wriggle free. He kept twisting the wires until they were uncomfortably tight. She protested about the pain, and asked him to stop.

But he wasn’t after her blood. He was after his own sexual gratification. Marc told her to get down on her knees, and then forced her to perform oral sex. She submitted. She was afraid for her life.

When he was satisfied, he marched her back to the parking lot, still bound with the wire and ordered her into the car.

Once she was inside, he got in with her and fitted her with a blindfold. Then he raped her.

When he was done, he cut the ligature from her wrists and told her he was going to “hang it up”, like a trophy.

Marc then drove her to Norwalk Mall and dropped her off. She went to the police that night, around 11:00PM, and reported the terrible sexual assault, and they arrested Marc Karun on Monday, January 27, 1986, and charged him with rape and kidnapping.

Rape and kidnapping charges dropped

Shortly after Karun’s arrest in January, he was released from jail. It takes time for the legal process to unfold, and it wasn’t until September 3, 1986, about 7 months after the violent incident, that Karun was finally sentenced.

In a surprising turn of events, the victim of the crime, whose name has not been released, decided not to testify against Marc. In fact, according to News Center Maine, she dated him for months after he violently raped her.

According to prosecutor David Cohen, “The victim became very friendly with the defendant along the way.”

As a result, the prosecution dropped the kidnapping charges and reduced the sexual assault charges from 1st degree to 4th degree. In Connecticut, 4th degree sexual assault against a victim (who is at least 16 years old) is a misdemeanor. In other words, Marc Karun raped a woman at knife point, bound her with ligatures, and was convicted of a crime that is comparable to groping.

Karun reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He would plead guilty to 4th degree sexual assault, and would be “officially” sentenced to six months in jail, but the term would be legally suspended, and basically substituted with 2 years of probation and mandatory psychiatric therapy. Judge John Ronan of Stamford Superior Court approved the deal, and Marc was set free.

In a later US District Court document, no record of jail time is recorded relating to these 1986 charges, so I don’t believe that Karun served any time at all for this crime.

Later, in a 1992 interview with police, the victim said, “Karun would act like his mind snapped and his attitude would change from good to crazy and vicious.”

I just wish she had said it in 1986.

Meet 11-year-old Kathleen Flynn, 1986

When 11-year-old Kathleen Marie Flynn came bounding into the kitchen on the morning of Tuesday, September 23rd, 1986, it was just a normal day. “Hello, my daddy,” she said—as she did every morning—giving her father, Jim Flynn, a hug. Her artwork flopped on the fridge as she grabbed a snack to take to school. A wooden Christmas teddy bear that Kathleen made in 4th grade hung on the wall. It may have been out of season, but it always brought a smile, so her mother, Esther, left it up.

Kathleen had just turned 11 on September 4th, days before starting her first day as a 6th grader at Ponus Ridge Middle School in Norwalk. “She’s growing up so fast,” her mother would say. Kathleen loved the characters from Strawberry Shortcake and had a collection of dolls. She’d just added a new one for her birthday, and didn’t want to make the other dolls jealous, but this one might be the new favorite. Kathleen loved arts and crafts and the Flynn household was full of Kathleen’s art projects. She was quiet and focused in school, and chatty and vibrant at home, full of warmth and love for her family. Kathleen was the only girl, and the baby of the family, and for her birthday they had just given her a brand new lavender bike.

With her fresh haircut and sneakers, Kathleen was ready. She said goodbye to her dog, Lady, and told her she’d see her after school. It was just a normal day.

Kathleen goes missing

When the clock hand hit 3:30, the anxiety in Esther Flynn’s body began to grow. Her daughter, Kathleen, wasn’t home from school. She always came straight home—3:15 every day—taking the same path. It wasn’t like her to hang around.

About an hour and a half later when Kathleen still wasn’t home, Ether called the police. That was at 5:12 pm. Almost immediately police started a search for the missing girl, going over her well trodden path behind the tennis courts into the woods towards home. Esther had already searched the surrounding neighborhood and checked at school with no luck. But as the day turned into night, there was still no sign of Kathleen.

Despite the darkness setting in, the search for Kathleen continued. Around 2am, an officer found Kathleen’s duffel bag with one of her school books inside. Shortly after that, they found her socks and sneakers.

And at 3:35am, about 150 feet from the path in the woods, their search came to a devastating end.

Little Kathleen Marie Flynn was dead—covered with old leaves and foliage from the cold, wet ground. A poor attempt at hiding her tiny body. A large, heavy rock sat on her chest and her hands were tied with ligatures. She’d been strangled with another ligature that wasn’t present at the scene. She’d also been raped.

It was clear Kathleen had put up a fight as best she could, her bound hands were dirty from fighting the ligature that cut off her air supply and ultimately took her life. But she was a little girl. And no matter how hard a little girl fights, she was no match against a monster more than twice her size.

Norwalk PD investigation, 1986

In the weeks following, tips poured in by the hundreds and the FBI was called in to assist the investigation, comparing this case against a database of other violent crimes. Students and staff at Ponus Ridge participated in recreating what they were doing the afternoon of Kathleen’s murder to assist police in collecting data—Going through the motions of heading to soccer practice, warming up on the field, and walking home, pretending like it was it Tuesday on a Friday afternoon so investigators could get a sense for the environment the day of the murder. The state even put up a $20k reward and a Norwalk area bank added $9k.

Several witnesses came forward and told police they saw three men on the grounds of the school between 3 and 4pm that day. There was also a description of a 1969 or 1970 green Chevy Impala with NY plates driving recklessly near the scene.

Local detectives tracked down every known sex offender in the area to determine their whereabouts the afternoon of September 23rd. About 50 men were interviewed, and hundreds more were looked at in consideration.

Police question Marc Karun about Kathleen

Police were aware of Marc’s previous violent sexual assault, and Marc drove a metallic light green older model vehicle. He also lived within 2 miles of Ponus Ridge Middle School. Police believed the person who killed Kathleen was familiar with the area and knew that kids would use the path in the woods to walk home from school.

On October 9th 1986, police stopped by his home on Princes Pine Road to have a chat.

During the conversation, 21-year-old Mark Karun shifted nervously, trying to cover up his apprehension by smoking cigarette after cigarette. Detectives later recalled he had smoked 3 in total.

He said he didn’t know Kathleen, but did mention he’d been at his alma mater, Ponus Ridge Middle School, four days prior to her murder to see a few teachers. Karun went into detail about being in the library and talking with the librarian who sat behind a desk.

He also said that he walked the footpath Kathleen was abducted from on her walk home.

When asked what he was doing September 23rd, he said he was walking along Connecticut Avenue looking for a job around 8:30am, but added that he gave up quickly and came home around 11:30am. He’d stopped at Wendy’s and McDonald’s but didn’t actually inquire about hiring anywhere. The job search was more to appease his parents than anything else. Detectives got the impression they wanted Karun out of their house.

Later that week police followed up with staff at the school, asking if anyone had seen Marc Karun on September 19th, the day he claimed to be at the school, and not one teacher said they spoke with him. However he was remembered from his time as a student by some teachers, and they all had similar things to say about him: Marc Karun was troubled, and had serious problems.

Police returned to talk to Karun in early October, this time living on his own in an apartment on West Cedar Street. They asked him the name of the librarian he spoke with that day to which his response was that he didn’t know the name and didn’t want to speak with police.

When police asked him why he would lie about being at the school, he recanted his statement, refusing to provide an explanation and referred them to his attorney.

Police had some DNA evidence from Kathleen’s body at the crime scene - there was some caucasian male hair found on her body. They tested it against Marc’s hair, collected from the rape crime earlier that year. The results came back inconclusive.

Later, in 1990, 4 years after Kathleen’s murder, forensics expert Dr. Henry Lee—the same Henry Lee you may remember from the Joyce McLain episode—consulted with investigators and said that no DNA evidence could be gleaned from the items collected at the scene. Norwalk Police carefully stored the evidence, hoping it would prove useful in the future.

Marc Karun was one of a small group of persons of interest, but unfortunately police didn't have enough information to charge him. Little did they know that this was only just the beginning of his terrifying crime spree in the Norwalk community.

Marc Karun rapes 16-year old girl in his apartment, 1988

In April of 1988, Karun, who was 23, invited a 16-year-old girl to come to his apartment in Derby, Connecticut. She’d hung out with him and another woman the night before at his place, drinking booze and playing cards, and figured this invitation was for a similar evening. When she arrived, the other woman wasn’t there. Shortly after being alone with Karun, he turned from awkward and charming to commanding. He attacked her—restraining her with a chokehold until she became compliant. He took her to the bedroom, where he then bound her hands and feet, blindfolded her and raped her.

The victim went to the police, and Marc was arrested. A future court date was set and he got out on bail until the trial.

Marc Karun rapes 23-year-old woman in her apartment, 1988

A month later, on May 15th, 1988, the day after Marc had moved out of his apartment in Derby, he decided to pay it one more visit. He let himself into her apartment and snuck into her bedroom. The new tenant, a 23-year-old female—despite placing a chair against the entry door—awoke to a man standing over in her around 1:30am. The locks hadn’t been changed and Marc had kept his key.

He placed his knee on her throat until she gave into him and then he tied her hands together. He put a ligature around her neck to keep her still, a pillowcase over her head, and a gag in her mouth to to silence her screams before raping her. When he was done he removed everything but the shoelaces around her wrists.

Though police doubtlessly suspected Marc, a known offender, who had just moved out of the apartment the previous day, they couldn’t pin it on him. The victim didn’t know Marc, and couldn’t identify him, and despite the obvious circumstantial evidence, the case went cold.

Marc Karun commits two more brazen crimes against women, 1988

About a week later on May 23rd, 1988, Marc was driving in Norwalk around 4:30 am and picked up a 27-year-old female hitchhiker. The minute she closed the door he turned reckless, driving at a high rate of speed onto nearby I-95. While threatening the woman with a knife, he ordered her to remove her clothes inside the car. The woman, when she found the right opportunity, grabbed the steering wheel, and pulled the car into a grassy median near a rest stop where she escaped the vehicle and ran for help.

That same day, Marc was arrested and spent the night in jail.

On June 17th, at 6:40am, 3 days before he started a prison sentence, Marc parked his girlfriend’s car in the driveway of a home in New Canaan, CT, and crouched in the driveway, waiting for a woman who he had identified as his next target, came walking by. When the 41-year-old approached, Marc called out to her, aking for directions. He then followed her as she walked away and put her into a chokehold, trying to drag her back to his car at knifepoint. Fortunately two passersby noticed the struggle and started to come to her aid, so he fled.

Police were able to track the car down based on the description of the vehicle and questioned Marc’s girlfriend on his whereabouts. She said that Mark had been out all night and returned early in the morning. When questioned by police, Marc denied it, saying he had no involvement. But the victim said otherwise and she identified Marc Karun as her attacker. Inside Marc’s apartment they found hundreds of pornographic photos and sex catalogues, a pair of black nylons, and a letter detailing a sexual assault. Once again he was arrested.

Marc sentenced to prison, 1988

On June 20th, 1988, the Norwalk community was able to sleep a little easier as Marc Karun was held in jail until he was convicted for the rape of the 16-year-old. Though I don’t understand the legal process exactly, at his sentencing hearing on August 18, 1989, he was given a 16 year sentence that was suspended by the judge to 8 years, and according to incarceration records he ultimately served 5.5 years.

That kept him off the street until January of 1994.

Without these brave women coming forward, this sentence may not have happened. Who knows how many other women Marc Karun terrorized. In 1989, he became a registered sex offender for life.

Marc moves to a tiny rural town in Maine, 2013

In 2013, Marc Karun moved to a remote log cabin nestled at the end of a winding road surrounded by thick trees in Stetson, Maine. Stetson is a tiny central Maine town of only 1,200 and right next door to my hometown of Newport, Maine. His family purchased the property in 2002 on behalf of his trust fund and put it in his name. A big change coming from a city of 90k near the NYC metropolis.

Right away Marc made his presence known, not afraid to force himself into the fabric of the central Maine community. Marc’s behavior was strange and peculiar. Everyone had a Marc Karun story.

Marc could often be seen standing on the side of the lightly trafficked Coboro Road near the end of his driveway, waiting. When a car passed by, he would salute them for no apparent reason.

He showed up to every town select board meeting—which meets twice a month—and would often sit in the front row wearing sunglasses and making snide comments. There was one occasion where he made a woman uncomfortable because he wouldn’t stop staring at her. The woman asked another selectman to stay behind and wait with her until Karun left the meeting so he didn’t follow her home. When Karun took out papers to run for selectman, the other members tried to push back, asking if they could pass an ordinance barring convicted felons from running for town office, something they couldn’t legally do. Karun never ended up returning the papers.

Catherine Fischer, a town registrar told the Bangor Daily News “He made us all uncomfortable. It’s almost like he would look right through you, and he didn’t know when to leave.”

Some members of the community made their discomfort clear by spray painting a warning in bright red on the road in front of his house with one word: pedophile.

My mom met him. My aunt met him. Both told similar stories of his odd behavior. He bought an orange truck from Hartley’s car dealership in Newport, a business that was started by my late grandfather. My aunt worked there at the time and said he lingered, talking a little too long to her co-worker Christy. She said he’d stop by every now and then to show Christy something on his truck under the guise of making an appt for a service. When he got into a fender bender and needed repair work done, he stopped by the autobody shop my mom worked at and everyone noticed he was extra friendly with the secretary at the time. He asked her to come outside so she could see something on his truck. After the job was done, he came back in to have adjustments made on minor complaints, and every time would try to get the secretary to come outside and see his truck. He would even periodically stop by when there wasn’t work that needed to be done.

DNA technology marches on, 2002-2011

The kind of DNA testing that generates an exact match - the kind that’s featured in crime television shows and has been successfully used by law enforcement to discover the truth in thousands of cases - is nuclear DNA testing. It is the gold standard in identification. Many, but not all cells, in the human body contain a nucleus, and the DNA contained within the nucleus is huge and extremely unique to each person on the planet.

All human cells start with a nucleus when they are created, but as they mature some cells eliminate them. For example, mature blood cells, skin cells, hair and nail cells contain no nucleus. In order to have a 100% positive identification between DNA and a person, the forensic sample must contain nuclear DNA. No nucleus, no exact match.

Not only must forensic samples contain nuclei, they must also be stored in controlled conditions, sometimes for decades. Nuclear DNA will naturally degrade over time, a process that can be drastically accelerated due to suboptimal storage conditions: UV exposure, humidity and temperature fluctuations can all cause samples to become unusable.

All the forensic samples from Kathleen’s case have been evaluated for a potential nuclear match to Marc Karun, and none have been successful.

But there are other sources of DNA in the body aside from nuclear DNA. There are tiny things within human cells called mitochondria that contain DNA as well. Unfortunately this DNA is not as unique as nuclear DNA, but it’s still used as a very powerful forensic tool.

Mitochondrial DNA (also known as mtDNA) was first isolated and sequenced back in 1981. It was used as evidence in US courts in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2003 that affordable testing became fairly widespread in genealogy and in forensics. This type of DNA is just a fraction of the size and length of nuclear DNA—about 150,000 times smaller, making them far less unique. On the bright side, there are thousands of times more of them in the body than nuclei, and even better yet, they can be found in things like hair and fingernails and skin cells.

The downside is that mtDNA will not provide an exact match.

There has been a tremendous amount of mtDNA testing done in the past 18 years and labs have developed around 11,000 different mtDNA profiles in North America. Your mtDNA will likely fit one of those profiles, and some of them are very rare. It turns out that Marc Karun’s is pretty rare indeed.

Here’s how this fits into the forensic investigation of Kathleen Flynn.

Connecticut police were carefully monitoring the rise of mtDNA testing technology, and started sending samples to a lab in State College, Pennsylvania, called Mitotyping Technologies.

Their first report, from January 9, 2002, eliminated one of their five persons of interest, leaving 4 others which included Marc Karun.

A month later, another report from the lab eliminated one more person of interest, reducing the group to three.

In March of 2003, Norwalk Lieutenant Weisgerber secured a warrant authorizing hairs previously collected from Karun in connection to one of his 1988 sex crimes, to be sent to Mitotyping Technologies for analysis. Evidently they had previously collected his pulled body hair, pulled pubic hair, and pulled head hair.

In June of 2003, the lab decided to use the pulled pubic hair sample to develop Karun’s mtDNA profile, and on August 18, 2003, they issued a report that concluded that the profile of the male caucasian pubic hair found on the lower abdomen of Kathleen’s body and Marc’s profile were the same. This was in the beginning of mitochondrial DNA profiling, though, and there was only a fraction as many profiles developed as there are now. The lab said that 146 of the 4,839 samples of North American people that they had tested would also match the profile of the hair found on Kathleen’s body. In other words, Marc was in the roughly 3% of the population that would be a match. 97% of people would be excluded.

8 years later, on November 16, 2011, Lieutenant Weisgerber submitted three items of evidence, including fingernail scrapings from Kathleen, and debris samples from her hands and feet, along with a sex crimes kit stemming from one of Karun’s 1988 sexual assaults to the Connecticut state forensic lab.

In April the state lab issued a report. There was a matching mtDNA profile between Karun’s sample and the fingernail scraping samples from Kathleen. It indicated that Marc was included in a VERY exclusive group. He was a member of the roughly 1,200 people, or .0005% of the entire US population that would be a match. That is to say—99.9995% of people could be conclusively eliminated as suspects.

But police weren’t satisfied with anything but 100%. So they waited... in hopes that DNA technology would continue to advance and lead them to a slam dunk conviction.

DNA evidence from the case all used up, 2017

On September 27, 2017, a Connecticut judge approved a warrant that would empower Maine State Police to collect a new DNA sample from Karun, and on October 3rd, just a week later, they executed the warrant with Norwalk police present, meeting Karun at the Penobscot County Sheriff’s office in Bangor, Maine, to swab his cheeks to collect his DNA. After refusing to speak with the detectives, Karun, as he was walking away, said out loud, "my life just keeps getting better".

A month later the laboratory issued a report comparing the cheek swabs to thirty-one items of evidence, and Karun was eliminated as the source for twenty-four of the items and found to be inconclusive in five others.

The fingernail scrapings were found unsuitable for comparison due to contamination in a control sample and were disqualified. A forensic science examiner stated that all DNA testing of the evidence had been exhausted.

This was it. There was no more testing to be done. And though little new information was gleaned from this final round of tests, there was still plenty of DNA evidence over 15 years of testing linking Karun to the crime.

Marc Karun arrested for the murder of Kathleen Flynn, 2019

Over the course of 33 years, through multiple generations of detectives and the accumulation of more than nine large 3-ring binders, investigators always came back to Marc Karun.

Between the compelling DNA evidence and the striking similarities between Karun’s many sex crimes and Kathleen, police decided it was time to act.

This three decade investigation that started in Norwalk, Connecticut, culminated on Wednesday June 12th, 2019 when police from Norwalk, Penobscot County, and the Maine State Police showed up at Marc Karun’s door in Stetson and arrested him for the 1986 murder of 11-year-old Katherine Marie Flynn.

Former police chief turned Norwalk Mayor Harry Rilling, who worked on Kathleen’s case said “This case here should give people hope... that we never give up. A homicide is never closed,"

When police showed up at Karun’s house with a search warrant there were firearms in plain view, something as a convicted felon he wasn’t legally allowed to own. The Maine State Police issued an additional search warrant for the firearms, and in total collected 34 pistols, 14 rifles, 11 revolvers and one 12-gauge shotgun all owned by Karun. They speculated he’d had them shipped to his home. The state opted to drop the charges against him for possession of firearms as a felon in order to speed up the extradition process for Kathleen’s case.

Karun’s charges in that case were kidnapping in the first degree, and murder with special circumstances, which is applied to situations when a child under 16 is killed during an assault or kidnapping. Karun’s bail was set at a whopping $5 million and he was extradited to Connecticut on Friday June 14th.

What’s happening now? May 2021

This case has no ending because this case isn’t officially closed.

Marc’s legal defense team has been busy, challenging the validity of the 2019 search warrant and finding support from the court. A court agreed that probable cause did not exist to conduct the raid on his home. He is trying to get any new 2019 evidence related to gun charges, child pornography charges, and the murder of Kathleen Flynn, thrown out. I discuss this—in detail—in the episode.

Marc Karun is currently being held in Connecticut where he is still in pre-trial negotiation. His next hearing is in July of this year. No telling when his trial will happen, if it even goes to trial. But if convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. With the overwhelming evidence, I hope that Marc Karun will never hurt another woman or child again.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence or assault, and needs help, support is available. Call the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) support hotline at (800) 656-4673 or visit them here

Connect with Murder, She Told on instagram @MurderSheToldPodcast

Click here to support Murder, She Told


Kathleen Flynn murder investigation
Kathleen Flynn Ponus Ridge Middle School
Kathleen Flynn Norwalk Connecticut
Still from NBC broadcast footage, 1986

Still from NBC broadcast footage, 1986

 
Ponus Ridge Middle School, 1986

Ponus Ridge Middle School, 1986

Police searching woods nearby, 1986

Police searching woods nearby, 1986

Forested pathway near Ponus Ridge Middle School where Kathleen murdered

Forested pathway near Ponus Ridge Middle School where Kathleen murdered

Kathleen Flynn murder press conference
Kathleen Flynn Press Conference
Kathleen Flynn’s funeral, 1986

Kathleen Flynn’s funeral, 1986

Original Composite

Original Composite

Mark Karun Maine mugshot

Mark Karun Maine mugshot

Mark Karun, 90’s mugshot

Mark Karun, 90’s mugshot

Mark Karun, at court in Bangor, ME, 2019

Mark Karun, at court in Bangor, ME, 2019

 
Thorp Ln, Norwalk, CT (Marc’s childhood street)

Thorp Ln, Norwalk, CT (Marc’s childhood street)

Princes Pine road, Norwalk, CT (Marc’s childhood street)

Princes Pine road, Norwalk, CT (Marc’s childhood street)

Art Weisgerber (Lieutenant, Norwalk PD)

Art Weisgerber (Lieutenant, Norwalk PD)

Map of mitochondrial DNA

Map of mitochondrial DNA

Marc Karun arrest warrant application

Marc Karun arrest warrant application

Kathleen Flynn’s parents, James and Esther Flynn

Kathleen Flynn’s parents, James and Esther Flynn

Kathleen Flynn

Kathleen Flynn


Sources For This Episode

Newspaper articles

Various articles from Bangor Daily News, Connecticut Post, Daily Advocate, Hartford Courant, Herald Statesman, New Haven Register, Record Journal, and The Hour; written by various authors including the AP, Callie Ferguson, Charles Eichacker, Christine Dempsey, Coimbra Sirica, David Owens, Denis Horgan, Eesha Pendharkar, James O'Keefe Jim Shay, Lisa Backus, Lisa Marie Peterson, Liz Barbera, Marianne Stochmal, Mark Pazniokas, Matthew Kauffman, Nicholas Rondinone, and Pat Tomlinson, here.

Online written sources

'Arrest Made in Norwalk Schoolgirl’s Cold Case' (CTPost), 6/13/2019, by Pat Tomlinson, Jim Shay

'Suspect in 1986 Rape and Killing of 11 Year Old…' (Hartford Courant), 6/14/2019, by David Owens

'Marc Karun: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know' (Heavy), 6/15/2019, by Janet Winikoff

'Affidavit: 1986 Conn. Murder Suspect a Repeat Sex Offender' (News Center Maine), 6/13/2019, by Liam Nee

'Kathleen Flynn’s Suspected Killer Back in Norwalk' (Newstimes), 6/14/2019, by Thane Grauel

'Untold Story of How Police Caught Kathleen Flynn’s Accused Killer' (Patch), 6/22/2019, by Alfred Branch

'Former Norwalk Man Pleads Not Guilty in Kathleen Flynn’s…' (Stamford Advocate), 8/13/2019, by John Nickerson

'Sex Offender Charged in 1986 Cold Case Slaying…' (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), 6/17/2019, by Crystal Bonvillian

'From Good to Crazy and Vicious' (The Norwalk Hour), 6/16/2019, by Pat Tomlinson

'Kathleen Flynn Cold Case Homicide: Suspect Tracked…' (The Hour), 6/14/2019, by Jim Shay, Lisa Backus

'Kathleen Flynn's Accused Killer Left Puzzling Trail…' (The Hour), 6/15/2019, by Pat Tomlinson

'Bail Kept at $5 M for Kathleen Flynn’s Accused Killer' (The Hour), 6/17/2019, by Pat Tomlinson, Jim Shay

'Kathleen Flynn Cold Case Homicide: Tech Advances…' (The Hour), 6/18/2019, by Pat Tomlinson

'Warrant: Ligatures Found in Kathleen Flynn’s Accused Killer’s Home' (The Hour), 10/6/2019, by Pat Tomlinson

'Warrant: Accused Killer in Kathleen Flynn’s Cold Case…' (The Hour), 12/9/2019, by Pat Tomlinson

'Stetson man accused in 1986 Connecticut killing…' (WGME), 3/13/2021, by David Marino Jr.

Video Sources

'Arrest Made in 1986 Sex Assault…' (YouTube), user “NBC New York”, 6/13/2019

'1986 murder suspect will be extradited…' (YouTube), user “News Center Maine”, 6/14/2019

'Affidavit: 1986 Conn. murder suspect a repeat sex offender' (News Center Maine), 6/13/2019

''Murder in Norwalk' - WNBC-TV, Sept. 23, 1986' (YouTube), user “News Center Maine”, 6/13/2019

'$5M bail for man charged in 1986 rape' (YouTube), user “Eyewitness News ABC7NY”, 6/19/2019

'Norwalk P.D. News Conf: Lt. Art Weisgerber' (YouTube), user “Nancy Chapman”, 6/18/2019

'Suspect In 1986 Sexual Assault, Murder Appears In Court' (YouTube), user “CBS New York”, 6/17/2019

Court documents

Decision on Motion to Suppress”, US District Court (Bangor, ME), Judge John Woodcock, Jr., 1/21/2021

Photos

Photos from various online sources including stills captured from video footage.

Credits

Created, researched, written, told, and edited by Kristen Seavey

Research, writing, and photo editing by Byron Willis

Research support by Delphi Borich

This episode was co-produced AKA Studio Productions


Previous
Previous

The Bizarre and Unexplained Death of Elizabeth Freel on Rattlesnake Hill

Next
Next

The Double Arson Murders of Lorna Brackett & Vincent White