Justice minister orders review of decades-old unsolved murder investigation in P.E.I.

The provincial justice minister in P.E.I. has ordered a review of the investigation into a decades-old unsolved murder case after charges were withdrawn last week.

Crown prosecutors in the province withdrew charges against Todd Joseph Gallant after Charlottetown police lost crucial evidence, including a knife that would have been used as an exhibit in court.

Police charged Gallant with first-degree murder and interfering with human remains in 2024 following an investigation into the 1988 killing of teacher Byron Carr.

The allegations against Gallant were not tested in court.

Darren MacDougall, Charlottetown’s interim chief of police, blamed a lack of consistent “property management systems” for the missing evidence.

Carr was 36 when he was strangled and stabbed in his Charlottetown home by someone who left a handwritten note on a wall that read, “I will kill again.”

Bloyce Thompson, the justice minister, has directed the Office of the Police Commissioner to appoint a third party to conduct the review.

“This is a troubling situation for all those involved, particularly the friends and family of the late Mr. Carr,” the minister said in a statement. “The community deserves answers, and we need to ensure public confidence in our justice system.”