A murder trial seeking justice for an 11-year-old Connecticut girl raped and killed in 1986 ended in a mistrial Monday after prosecutors revealed the victim may have been placed in a contaminated body bag, raising serious questions about evidence integrity after nearly 40 years.

Shocking Revelation Derails Prosecution

Marc Karun, 60, faced murder and kidnapping charges for the killing of Kathleen Flynn, a sixth grader attacked while walking home from middle school in Norwalk. The trial collapsed when prosecutors disclosed an email from retired police lieutenant Robert Fabrizzio, who reported that famed forensic scientist Henry Lee told him shortly after the 1986 killing that Flynn had been placed in a previously used body bag. Judge John Blawie declared he had no choice but to grant a mistrial due to potential evidence contamination, though he refused to dismiss the case entirely.

Lee, who headed the Connecticut state crime lab at the time and gained national recognition for his work on the O.J. Simpson case, died last month at age 87. State crime lab officials expressed surprise at the allegation, with spokesman Rick Green stating forensic scientists stand by their trial testimony. State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek said prosecutors will work with the crime lab and medical examiner’s office to verify Fabrizzio’s claim.

DNA Evidence and Prior Convictions

Karun remained detained on five million dollars bond following the mistrial. Authorities arrested him in 2019 at his Stetson, Maine home after advances in DNA testing technology linked him to Flynn’s murder. A state forensic lab official testified that DNA from scrapings under Flynn’s fingernails was 22,000 times more likely to belong to Flynn and Karun than to the girl and another random person. Karun previously served approximately 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting or kidnapping four other female victims during the 1980s, with police noting similarities between those attacks and Flynn’s killing.

Federal Charges and Flynn Family’s Wait

Following his 2019 arrest, authorities discovered nearly 90 rifles and handguns at Karun’s Maine residence. As a convicted felon, he was prohibited from possessing firearms. Karun pleaded guilty to federal gun charges in 2024 and awaits sentencing in July. Ferencek expressed disappointment for Flynn’s family members, who have waited four decades for justice and closure. The prosecution continues despite this significant setback, though the contamination allegation casts uncertainty over physical evidence collected nearly 40 years ago when forensic standards differed substantially from modern protocols.