An arrest has been made in a gruesome double homicide that occurred decades ago after a suspect was identified using a fingerprint from a taxi license application.
Theresa Marcoux, 18, and Mark Harnish, 20, were shot to death in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on November 19, 1978.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Wednesday that bloody fingerprints were collected at the scene, but no match had ever been found.
An anonymous tipster then came forward with information connecting Timothy Joley, 71, of Clearwater, Florida, who previously lived in Massachusetts, to the crime.
“Investigators obtained a fingerprint identification card for Joley from the Springfield Police Department, which was on file with that department because Joley was fingerprinted as an applicant for a taxi license in 2000,” Gulluni said. .
Timothy Joley (pictured), 71, was arrested in connection with a murder in Massachusetts in 1978 after his fingerprints from a taxi license application connected him to the crime.
Two police investigators, each with extensive experience in fingerprint analysis, comparison, evaluation and verification, were recruited, and both compared Joley’s print to the one left at the scene.
Marcoux and Harnish were last seen alive on the morning of November 19, 1978, at approximately 12:30, leaving a party organized by friends.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., police discovered a green 1967 Dodge pickup truck belonging to Harnish parked in a rest area at Route 5 and Riverdale Street.
An officer saw that the driver’s side window of the truck was damaged and noticed blood in and around the vehicle.
The remains of Marcoux and Harnish were found on a nearby railing and both had multiple gunshot wounds.
‘The next investigation saw painstaking efforts to document and photograph the scene, with physical and biological evidence collected by investigators. “The rest area was thoroughly searched for evidence, but no firearm was found,” Gulluni said.
“Investigators concluded that Theresa and Mark had been shot while in the passenger compartment of the van and their bodies were moved to the area where their remains were later discovered.”
Theresa Marcoux (pictured), 18, and Mark Harnish, 20, were shot to death in West Springfield, Massachusetts, on November 19, 1978.
Marcoux and Harnish (pictured) were last seen alive on the morning of November 19, 1978, at approximately 12:30, leaving a party thrown by friends.
Police discovered Harnish’s truck at a rest stop. Their remains were found on a nearby railing and both had multiple gunshot wounds.
Ballistic tests concluded that all bullets were fired from the same unknown firearm that was capable of firing .38 caliber ammunition.
After Joley’s name was reported to investigators, they learned he had lived in the city at the time and owned a gun.
“Investigators also discovered that Joley was licensed to possess weapons in November 1978 and that he purchased a Colt pistol approximately a month before the murders,” Gulluni said.
The district attorney said no motive is known at this time and there was no apparent connection between Joley and the victims.
While the victims’ parents died, the rest of their relatives attended Gulluni’s press conference on Wednesday.
“I admire and respect him for his patience, determination and the faith that I know he has maintained over these many years,” he said.