THE harrowing murder of Lin Russell and her daughter 30 years ago is back under investigation, amid hopes that advances in DNA testing could finally bring their killer to justice.
Almost three decades after the horrific crime, forensic scientists have highlighted missed opportunities in the original investigation.
Lin and Megan were tragically pronounced dead at the sceneCredit: PA:Press Association
Michael Stone was first convicted for the double murder in 1997Credit: PA:Press Association
A hammer was found in a hedgerow bordering a field near the murder scene of Lin and Megan RussellCredit: Kent Police
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), the watchdog for miscarriages of justice, has appointed its own forensic expert to begin fresh testing of key evidence in the case, per The Times .
Forensic scientist Angela Gallop has written an 18-page report of the original investigation, identifying a number of pieces of evidence that could be retested.
Lin Russell, 45, and her two daughters, Megan, 6, and Josie, 9, were walking home after a swimming gala in 1996 when they were viciously attacked.
In , all three were dragged into a copse, tied up and brutally beaten by a hammer-wielding killer.
Police found the victims later that night in a woodland less than half a mile from their home in .
Lin and Megan were tragically pronounced dead at the scene, having suffered catastrophic head injuries while Josie miraculously survived and was rushed to hospital.
After one of the biggest manhunts in British history, including a national television appeal, detectives arrested just over a year after the attack.
Stone, of Gillingham, , then aged 37, was alleged to have carried out the double murder and attempted murder of Josie, but has always proclaimed his innocence.
Back in 1996, police found the crime scene littered with potential clues to the killer’s identity, including the girls’ lunchboxes smeared with blood and a blood-stained bootlace.
Gallop believes retesting key evidence could still crack the case — including fingernail scrapings taken from Lin’s left hand, which she claims were “apparently never tested”.
For years, the lace was seen as the best hope of catching the killer, as police believed it was used to strangle Megan and may have been carried by the murderer.
Early tests revealed traces of male DNA, but there was too little to identify Stone or anyone else on the police database, as well as concerns it had been contaminated.
The lace was later thought to have been destroyed, until it mysteriously resurfaced in 2020. It can now be retested using modern forensic techniques, scientists say.
Gallop also suspects a bloody fingerprint on one of the girls’ lunchboxes could hold vital answers, since it also did not match Stone’s profile.
Lin Russell and daughter Megan were killed walking home from a swimming galaCredit: PA:Press Association
Michael Stone has always insisted he is innocentCredit: Reuters
A blood-stained bootlace was found near the murder scene
The problem is the lunchbox has since vanished and could not even be found for the original trial.
Forensic scientist Jim Fraser, who has more than 40 years’ experience, was among the first experts on the scene. He was confronted with a deeply disturbing picture, but no useful leads emerged.
He recalled: “There were multiple pools of blood — more pools than bodies, and they (the investigating team) wanted me to tell them what I could tell about the crime scene from what was left there.
“They had been tied to the trees, there was a ligature left behind, they had been moved, and the investigating team wanted to know the exact sequence of events that led to this scene.
“I was able to tell them some things through my investigation, but not everything, simply because the forensic evidence was slim.”
Fraser says Stone’s conviction sits “on a knife edge” and bears the hallmarks of a potential miscarriage of justice.
Police found the victims in a woodland less than half a mile from their homeCredit: Gary Stone – The Sun
Josie miraculously survived the attack, but Lin and Megan were tragically murderedCredit: Kent News and Pictures
Stone’s requests for further appeals have been deniedCredit: PA:Press Association
Stone came to detectives’ attention after a psychiatrist and two nursing staff contacted police following a Crimewatch episode.
Heroin addict Stone, who had been a suspect in a 1976 knife murder and had been involved in the accidental killing of his partner through an overdose, matched the description put out by police.
The case against him grew when friends noticed bloodstained clothes and recalled he kept a hammer in his car.
Damian Daley, a criminal who met Stone behind bars, later claimed Stone confessed through a pipe connecting their cells.
Stone pleaded not guilty in 1997, but despite no forensic evidence, he was convicted by a jury in just 15 hours by a 10–2 majority verdict, largely based on Daley’s testimony.
The lack of forensic evidence formed the basis of Stone’s appeal in 2001 after two of the three prisoners who testified against him were discredited.
The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial, but it resulted in a second conviction. His later requests for appeal have been denied, but his legal team continues to fight to clear his name.
His barrister Mark McDonald said: “One of the reasons why I think Stone is innocent is he’s on the phone to me every day saying, ‘Try testing this, try testing that’.
“Someone who thinks their DNA might be there doesn’t keep banging on about testing things.”
McDonald has represented Stone for the past 22 years and also represents Lucy Letby , who is likewise challenging her murder conviction.
A CCRC spokesperson said: “A review into this application is ongoing. We are exploring all of the possibilities the application raises to determine whether Mr Stone may have suffered a miscarriage of justice.
“Our test for referring a case is that there is a real possibility that the Court of Appeal would overturn his conviction, a test which was not met in any of the earlier applications.
“It would be inappropriate for us to discuss the case or make any further comment while the application is being reviewed.”
Kent Police said: “We have supported the Criminal Cases Review Commission by providing all the relevant information required throughout its ongoing review of Stone’s conviction and will continue to do so.”
Josie Russell survived the horror attackCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
The Russell murders shocked the nation back in 1996Credit: PA:Press Association
The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial for Stone but it resulted in a second convictionCredit: PA:Press Association
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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