The Murder of Sharron Prior

QUÉBEC

One cold March Saturday night in Montreal, 16-year-old Sharron Prior sets off for a five minute walk to the local pizzeria to meet friends. She never arrives.

Three days later, a local beekeeper makes a devastating discovery in an isolated field:  Sharron Prior has been brutally murdered. Who was responsible? And could it be the same man who attacked another local woman that same night?

This is the story of a case that haunted Québec for decades, the family who refused to give up, and the breakthrough that finally brought the answers they were looking for.

The intention of this episode is to take a look back at a high-profile crime sensationalized through headlines, explain how it was solved, and how it impacted the local community. Please respect the privacy of the people involved in this case.

Additional content warning: this crime is murder and sexual assault of a teenage girl. Minimal graphic details will be given. Please take care when listening.

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More information:

• Resources for victims/survivors: Ending violence Canada

• Sharron Prior website - http://sharronprior.com

• Watch “Finding Sharron’s Killer, CTV’s W5 series on YouTube:
  Part 1: Montreal Teen Murdered in 1975
  Part 2: DNA Evidence Unlocks the Mystery

Canadian true crime donates monthly to those facing injustice. This month we have donated to the Association for Families of Persons Assassinated or Disappeared (AFPAD).

Credits: 

Research: Haley Gray
Audio editor, voice of disclaimer: Erik Krosby
Senior producer: Lindsay Eldridge
Additional research, writing, narration, sound design: Kristi Lee

Music credits:

Theme song: by We Talk of Dreams
All music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound

Sources:

Archived newspaper sources 1975-2012:

The Montreal Star

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/740546106/?match=1&terms=sharron%20prior

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/740547077/?article=a46a9c22-5b78-4d47-b43c-069997e96186&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/740546881/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/743657553/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/740546369/

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/740571732/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/740563987/

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/742664756/

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/743657553/?match=6&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22&search-id=b4b19e51-0f84-45b5-9dc3-069129327dce&search-rank=10

The Gazette

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/425798097/

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/550650383/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22https://www.newspapers.com/image/421528988/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/425798117/

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/421363293/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/958669115/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/425798841/

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/425833415/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/425985163/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/476817480/

• National Post
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/958669028/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• Canadian Press
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/965034952/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1057423655/?match=1&terms=%22sharron%20prior%22

• The Ottawa Journal
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/46247800/?match=1&terms=%22Franklin%20Romine%22

• The Ottawa Citizen
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/459323898/?match=1&terms=%22Franklin%20Romine%22

• The Expositor
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/733449450/?match=1&terms=%22Franklin%20Romine%22

• La Pressehttps://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2199700 (2004 garage search)

Sharron Prior website
http://sharronprior.com

Noovo investigation

• Ne repose pas en paix / Don’t rest in peacedirected by Marie-Christine Bergeron

• Le meurtrier de Sharron Prior officiellement identifié, un demi-siècle plus tard

• Meurtre de Sharron Prior: est-ce que l'ADN du suspect concordera avec la scène de crime?

W5 / video

• W5, Finding Sharron's Killer, Part 1: Montreal Teen Murdered in 1975 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcSm6xl88E

• Det. Sgt. Eric Racicot Testimony to Exhume Body of Suspected Killer of Sharron Prior https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3TpNnbrNeI

• W5, Finding Sharron's Killer, Part 2: DNA Evidence Unlocks the Mystery https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22fTDhiCpj4

CBC

• CBC, Quebec cold case revived with $10,000 reward https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-cold-case-revived-with-10-000-reward-1.1297228

• CBC, Romine exhumation
  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-sharron-prior-killing-suspect-exhumed-west-virginia-1.6835483

• CBC, DNA technique used in Sharron's case https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/prior-cold-case-dna-new-tool-1.6856007

CTV

• Renewed appeal for clues
  https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/police-hoping-for-fresh-clues-in-decades-old-murder-of-sharron-prior/

• DNA evidence leads to suspect
  https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/dna-evidence-leads-to-suspect-in-48-year-old-sharron-prior-murder-cold-case/

• Montreal cold-case unit
  https://www.ctvnews.ca/montreal/article/montreal-police-creating-new-unit-to-help-crack-hundreds-of-unsolved-murders/

• How a detective used DNA
  https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/how-a-detective-used-dna-technology-to-identify-a-teenage-girls-killer-50-years-later/

Montreal Gazette

• New DNA evidence identifies Sharron Prior's killer
  https://montrealgazette.com/news/new-dna-evidence-identifies-sharron-priors-killer

• Methods used to solve Montreal teen's murder could help with other cold cases https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/methods-used-to-solve-montreal-teens-murder-could-help-with-other-cold-cases

Montreal Matin

• https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/4516900

• https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/4516902

• https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/4516939

• CityNews, police identify suspect
  https://montreal.citynews.ca/2023/05/23/quebec-police-to-give-update-on-1975-murder-investigation-after-identifying-suspect/

• CityNews, Romine exhumation
  https://halifax.citynews.ca/2023/05/08/in-west-virginia-police-exhume-body-of-suspect-in-1975-murder-of-montreal-teenager/

• Global News
  https://globalnews.ca/news/9716965/cold-case-montreal-1975-teen-murder/

• Toronto Star
  https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/quebec-police-identify-killer-in-1975-cold-case-murder-of-sharron-prior/article_23bd90ba-4a22-5499-9014-abe722bc4d73.html

• CBS News
  https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/quebec-police-identify-killer-1975-cold-case-murder-sharron-prior/

• | Longueuil | Sharron Prior Murdered on March 29, 1975 - MDIQ

• Det. Sgt. Eric Racicot Testimony to Exhume Body of Suspected Killer of Sharron Prior https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3TpNnbrNeI

West Virgina Reporting

• Romine body to be exhumed
  https://wchstv.com/news/local/wva-mans-body-being-exhumed-after-canadian-authorities-say-he-raped-killed-teen-in-75-04-21-2023

• Sharron Prior cold-case update
  https://wchstv.com/news/local/canadian-cold-cash-update-sharron-prior-longueuil-police-montreal-quebec-1975-franklin-romine-exhumation-dna-evidence-kidnap-rape-death-putnam-county-west-virginia

• Romine investigated in other cold cases
  https://wchstv.com/news/local/wva-man-who-killed-teen-in-canada-in-75-being-investigated-in-unsolved-cold-cases

• Raleigh Register
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/47910512/?match=1&terms=%22Franklin%20Romine%22

• Archived TurnTo10 report https://web.archive.org/web/20240904045555/https://turnto10.com/news/nation-world/mans-body-exhumed-after-canadian-authorities-believe-he-raped-killed-teen-in-1975-west-virginia-franklin-maywood-romine-sharron-prior-assault-murder-homicide-beaten-to-death-autopsy-asphyxiation-facial-fractures-montreal-quebec-dna-evidence

Records / Background

• Find a Grave, Franklin Maywood Romine
  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/122638544/franklin_maywood-romine

• West Virginia Supreme Court decision concerning Franklin Romine
  https://law.justia.com/cases/west-virginia/supreme-court/1980/14154-3.html