Police in Canada’s capital city say they have identified the suspect in a fatal stabbing that happened almost three decades ago. The suspect, a man from Vancouver, British Columbia, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after advanced DNA testing helped authorities link him to the crime.
Lawrence Diehl, now 73, is accused of killing 22-year-old Christopher Smith on April 12, 1996, according to Ottawa Police. Smith was stabbed to death on the Portage Bridge, which connects Ottawa, the Canadian capital, to Gatineau in the neighboring province of Quebec.
“Advances in forensics and DNA have allowed police to identify the perpetrator and the matter is now before the court,” Ottawa Police said in a statement.
Diehl was arrested in Vancouver on December 10, police said. Investigators returned the suspect to Ottawa within the week, and he made his first appearance in court over the weekend.
Multiple law enforcement agencies from across Canada worked since 2020 to solve Smith’s cold case, including the national police force. Diel was identified through investigative genetic genealogy, where scientists and investigators use a combination of genetic testing and genealogy research to build a family tree for the individual whose sample is being evaluated.
In Smith’s case, scientists used genome sequencing to build a DNA profile for the murder suspect, according to Othram Inc., a labratory that specializes in forensic genetic genealogy to assist law enforcement. Otram’s findings allowed police working the case to develop new leads and pursue a renewed investigation, which culminated in Diehl’s identification.
Diehl’s arrest marked the closure of Ottawa Police’s oldest cold case, and the first time the department used genetic genealogy to solve a crime.
“By bringing these charges, the Ottawa Police Service demonstrates once again that we will never stop working for victims of crime and their loved ones,” said Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs in a statement. “We will continue to embrace innovative techniques to solve cases, and I commend the members of our Homicide Unit for ensuring that no case is ever forgotten, and no effort is spared.”
Stubbs said police have connected with Smith’s family to inform them of the new developments in his case. Investigators have asked anyone to contact the Ottawa Police Service’s homicide unit with information about Diehl and time in Ottawa, as detectives learned he was there for work-related reasons at the time of the murder.
