A Vancouver man has been charged with second-degree murder in a decades-old Ottawa cold case police say they cracked using cutting-edge DNA technology.
Lawrence Diehl, 73, is accused of fatally stabbing 22-year-old Christopher Smith on the Portage Bridge connecting Ottawa and Gatineau in 1996.
No one answered the door at Diehl’s Kerrisdale home on Monday.
DNA match leads to arrest in cold case with B.C. connection
Neighbours in the community said Diehl and his wife had lived for more than two decades in the home, recently assessed at $3.25 million.
Vancouver police, in collaboration with Ottawa police, arrested the former meteorologist and BC Soccer Hall of Fame inductee at the property on Dec. 10.
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“That’s shocking. This is a very nice, quiet neighbourhood, you never expect anything like this,” neighbour Eric Gold told Global News.
“I wouldn’t consider him the most friendly neighbour to say the least but … I don’t know about the deep secrets that he has in his closet.”
Ottawa police said homicide investigators returned to the nearly 30-year-old cold case in 2020 when they used advanced DNA testing, including Investigative Genetic Genealogy, to identify a suspect.
Victims in historic Vancouver cold case finally identified
Police said Smith was walking home with his cousin after a night out when they encountered an unknown man who fatally stabbed him.
“We assured the family then that this case would not be forgotten,” Ottawa Police deputy chief Trish Ferguson said at a news conference earlier this month.
“Thanks to advancements in DNA technology, we developed a suspect profile that ultimately led to a breakthrough.”
Diehl served on Canada Soccer’s Board of Directors for B.C. between 1998 and 2002. He also served as president of BC Soccer over the same period and has been honoured as a BC Soccer Life member.
Diehl holds degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Alberta and worked as a meteorologist for the Government of Canada between 1973 and 1980.
Diehl was transported to Ottawa, where he remains in custody. He is due to appear in court on Jan. 8, 2025.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
