New trial ordered for Ontario man who spent 23 years in prison for 10-year-old girl’s murder

Ontario’s court of appeal has set aside a conviction and ordered a new trial for a man who spent 23 years in prison for the murder of a 10-year-old girl in 1989 — but by all accounts, it’s unlikely that trial will ever happen.

It’s a complex case that includes recanted confessions as well as accusations of police conspiracy and mishandled evidence that the court of appeal re-examined after two former federal justice ministers said a “miscarriage of justice” likely occurred during the original trial of Timothy Rees, 62, more than 30 years ago. 

Though the appeal court’s decision, which was released Thursday, flags several issues with the investigation and ensuing case — it does not contain any concrete answers as to who strangled 10-year-old Darla Thurrott in her Etobicoke bedroom in 1989.

Decades on from Thurrott’s death, Rees continues to maintain his innocence. 

“I did not kill Darla. I am innocent and it had nothing to do with me,” Rees told reporters at the office of James Lockyer, a lawyer with the non-profit legal organization Innocence Canada, which represented him through the most recent court process. 

“Since 1989, I