Graham McGill Wiki
Graham McGill Biography
Who is Graham McGill?
A s*xual predator who murdered a mother of 11 in her own home more than 36 years ago has been jailed after being caught by a DNA discovery.
Convicted rapist Graham McGill, 59, was incarcerated at HMP Edinburgh on temporary release when he strangled Mary McLaughlin in Partick, Glasgow, in September 1984.
Ms. McLaughlin, 58, was found dead six days later by her son with the cord of his robe wrapped around her neck three times.
Investigation
His death sparked a major police investigation and spawned dozens of lines of investigation, but the unsolved case remained unsolved until modern DNA techniques put McGill on his floor “with a probability of more than a billion to one.”
The scientists managed to extract his DNA from one of the knots in the gown’s tie.
McGill, who had previously been locked up for six years for assault with the intent to rape and rape in 1981, was convicted of the murder last month after a trial in Glasgow High Court.
He was sentenced today in Aberdeen High Court to life in prison and will have to spend 14 years behind bars before any possible release on leave.
Ms McLaughlin
Ms. McLaughlin had enjoyed a night out drinking and playing dominoes at different bars on September 26 and was last seen around 10:45 pm heading to a chip shop on the way home.
Jurors heard that a major investigation was launched in 1984, but that no one was charged with murder.
Over the years, police and scientists struggled to uncover the identity of Mary’s killer and several investigations into unsolved cases were launched.
McGill was eventually captured thanks to the dedication and determination of two forensic scientists.
They looked for new ways to extract the killer’s DNA from the ligature that was tightened three times around his neck and knotted twice.
The material had deteriorated greatly over time, but the techniques for obtaining DNA had reached what was described as “the gold standard.”
They found that although one of the two knots in the cord had been untied and tested, the other had not been touched since Mary’s body was found in her home.
David Green said:
‘This was a challenging investigation that required complex and painstaking work by specialized prosecutors.
Under his direction, forensic science experts saw an opportunity to use modern DNA techniques to analyze evidence from the scene that had been preserved by the original investigating officers before such techniques were available to them.
This foresight eventually led to the conviction of Graham McGill.
Unsolved homicides are never closed and the Crown is committed to working with the police to bring these cases to court whenever possible.
“Our thoughts remain with Mary’s family, and I hope that the sentence imposed today will serve to provide a solution.”
