Murder conviction in slaying of Canadian nurse overturned

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Canadian nurse Lynne Knight was working in California when she was murdered in 1979. She was only 28 years old.

The case gained international attention because of the brutal nature of the killing: Knight was stabbed all over his body and strangled with a homemade garrote (a wire attached to two pieces of wood). Despite public outcry, however, the case went cold for decades and the murderer remained at large.

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That is, until new evidence linked Knight’s ex-boyfriend Douglas Bradford to the weapon used in the murder. Bradford was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.

Now, the case is under the spotlight again after Bradford’s conviction was overturned.

Who was Lynne Knight and what happened to her?

Knight, originally from Stratford, Ontario, moved to Torrance, California to find work as a neonatal nurse. She was “extremely outgoing,” and “the most incredible tomboy ever” who enjoyed all kinds of sports, her sister Donna Wigmore said.

Knight was planning a trip back home to be her sister’s maid of honor at her wedding in mid-September. But on Aug. 30, she was killed in her Torrance apartment.

Knight’s landlord, who lived next door, heard screams at 3 am He saw a man leaving the area moments later. He noticed the gate to Knight’s property was left “wide open” and went to check on her. When she didn’t respond, I called the police. Officers found Knight stabbed and strangled on her bed. A crumpled up invitation to her sister’s wedding was “in or near a trash can.”

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Because of the personal and violent nature of the crime, the lead detective first assigned to the case believed Knight knew her killer.

Police interviewed three main suspects, including Bradford, who had previously dated Knight, and another ex-boyfriend who died with her the night she was murdered.

In 1982, the investigation was suspended because it lacked “sufficient evidence.”

The used knife was never recovered.

How did the cold case get cracked?

In 2000, the case was reopened after the discovery of new evidence.

While reviewing the murder with fresh eyes decades later, cold case Det. Jim Wallace thought parts of the weapon may have been made with household items that could still be “lying around,” he said in an episode about the case on Dateline.

Wire used to hang pictures was found at the home of Bradford’s mother that was “of the same class” of wire used for the garrote at the murder scene. The type of wire was extremely rare and “that happens to also be what Doug had access to, because of his mom’s painting of him,” Wallace said.

Police also uncovered evidence of Bradford stalking a girlfriend after they broke up in 2009.

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Bradford was convicted of the murder in 2014.

Why was the case overturned?

The conviction was based on circumstantial evidence after the trial judge excluded exculpatory evidence of another suspect, according to a ruling filed on May 3.

Knight’s ex-boyfriend, who admitted to seeing her the night she was killed, had also “previously subjected the victim to physical violence at his hands.” Not presenting this evidence at the trial “violated the defendant’s right to present a defense,” said the ruling.

The federal appeals court has sent the case back to state courts. Prosecutors have 30 days to decide if they want to retry Bradford.

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office said they intended to withdraw the case, but would thoroughly examine it before deciding, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Wigmore, however, was angry at the decision to overturn Bradford’s conviction.

“Lynne was butchered,” she said in an email to the National Post. “She deserves justice.”

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