The man who killed two Toronto women in the 1980s and was free for nearly 40 years has been given a life sentence in prison with no chance of parole for 21 years.
Joseph George Sutherland remained silent in a Toronto courtroom as Justice Maureen Forestell handed down his sentence on Friday afternoon.
The judge informed the court that due to the victims' vulnerability, the violation of their homes and bodies, and the brutal nature of the killings, both murders are close to first-degree murder.
She noted that the two deaths Sutherland admitted to were not quick or painless.
In August 1983, Sutherland unlawfully entered the residence of Susan Tice, 45, on Grace Street in Toronto. She was sexually assaulted and stabbed 13 times.
Four months later, he broke into Erin Gilmour’s apartment on Hazelton Avenue. She was restrained, sexually assaulted, and fatally stabbed.
Sean McCowan, Erin Gilmour’s brother outside court. He’s been speaking to media for years including myself about his sister’s unsolved murder. pic.twitter.com/bphMZpWfQW
— Catherine McDonald (@cmcdonaldglobal) March 22, 2024
For many years, the two murders remained unsolved.
In 2000, DNA analysis indicated to authorities that the same suspect was responsible for both women's deaths. Following this breakthrough, the families of the victims had to wait for over two more decades before learning the name of the perpetrator.
Sutherland was identified as a person of interest in 2021 through genetic genealogy. The following year, he was apprehended in Moosonee, Ont., after authorities executed a search warrant at his residence for his DNA.
“The families’ pain from the losses was intensified by the uncertainty of the murderer never being caught,” the judge stated on Friday.
Christian Tice, Susan Tice’s daughter reacts to the sentence outside the courthouse. pic.twitter.com/RUmGMT90EF
— Catherine McDonald (@cmcdonaldglobal) March 22, 2024
Sutherland, 62, confessed in October 2023 to two charges of second-degree murder.
