WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Nearly 46 years after the brutal murders of Theresa Marcoux, 18, and Mark Harnish, 20, authorities in western Massachusetts announced the arrest of a suspect, identified through a fingerprint match.
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The investigation began on Nov. 19, 1978, when police found Marcoux and Harnish shot to death near Route 5 in West Springfield, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said. Harnish’s Dodge pickup truck was found nearby, showing signs of blood and a damaged window.
According to Gulluni, Marcoux and Harnish were fatally shot in the truck’s passenger compartment, and their bodies were later moved from the vehicle. A critical piece of evidence, a bloody fingerprint on the truck window, would eventually lead investigators to the suspect.
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Breakthrough Through Fingerprint Match Analysis
Over the years, the bloody fingerprint was entered into the Massachusetts Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and manually compared with around 70,000 known fingerprint records, but no match was identified, Gulluni said at a press conference on Wednesday. However, in October 2024, a new tip surfaced, linking 71-year-old Timothy Joley to the crime.
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Key Evidence Links Suspect
Joley, who lived in Springfield at the time of the murders, had no significant criminal record. Investigators accessed his fingerprint records from a 2000 taxi license application and confirmed a match with the bloody fingerprint on Harnish’s truck. They also found that Joley was a licensed gun owner in 1978, and records show he had purchased a Colt handgun just a month before the murders. The bullets found at the crime scene were fired from a .38 caliber firearm, matching the type Joley owned.
With this new evidence, authorities secured an arrest warrant, and Joley was taken into custody on Oct. 30 at his home in Florida. He waived extradition on Nov. 5 and will be returned to Massachusetts to face two counts of murder, Gulluni said.
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No Known Motive or Connection to Victims
Gulluni stated that investigators have found no apparent connection between Joley and the victims, and a motive for the crime remains unknown. He described Marcoux as someone who “loved to laugh and always had a smile on her face” and Harnish as “a quiet, polite young man.”
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A Long-Awaited Break for the Families
Family members of the victims attended the press conference, and Gulluni praised their resilience. “I admire and respect you for your patience, resolve, and the faith that I know you’ve maintained over these many years,” he said. Gulluni also expressed sadness that the parents of both Marcoux and Harnish, who never saw justice served, had passed away.
This breakthrough fingerprint match brings closure to a case that has haunted the families and the community for nearly half a century.
