WARNING: This story contains details of sexual assaults against children.
A jury was presented with disturbing evidence this week related to a cold case from over 30 years ago.
Richard Neil, who is now 67, has pleaded not guilty to the 17 charges he faces, including kidnapping, sexual assault causing bodily harm and administering a stupefying drug.
His trial at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Brampton, Ont., comes many years after an unknown attacker violently restrained three children as young as eight in parks across southern Ontario between 1992 and 1995 and assaulted them sexually. Prosecutors mentioned earlier this month that DNA evidence connected Neil to each incident.
The assaults took place in Kitchener, Brampton and Oakville.
This week’s proceedings focused on items that the Crown claims link directly back to Neil, including underwear with holes cut out that were used as a mask by the assailant.
Margaret Henry, a forensic scientist at the Centre of Forensic Sciences who has worked on DNA testing for this case for several years, testified that semen found on the item matched genetic material from Neil.
Forensic scientist Margaret Henry testifies while a courtroom monitor shows underwear, a piece of evidence in the trial of Richard Neil, on October 15, 2026. (Pam Davies/CBC)
She also explained a mathematical formula used during DNA testing to eliminate individuals from being linked to crime scene DNA.
“This number provides very strong support for the proposition that Richard Neil is the source for those DNA profiles rather than an unknown, unrelated person,” Henry testified.
Over time, forensic scientists examined around 310 persons of interest before connecting Neil to the assaults, according to Henry’s testimony.
New Developments in DNA Technology Propel Case Forward
Significant advancements have been made in DNA testing since these cases were first linked back in 1995, stated Henry. The Centre of Forensic Sciences where she has been working since the late ’90s first compared Neil’s DNA against various samples from crime scenes in 2024.
Earlier this month, jurors learned investigators identified him as a suspect through genetic genealogy analysis done in the U. S., which was not available during the original investigations conducted in the ’90s.
Richard Neil sketched in a Brampton, Ont., courtroom on Oct. 15, 2026 as his trial over sexual assault and kidnapping charges continues. (Pam Davies/CBC)
Other items allegedly linked to Neil include semen discovered on debris like twigs and bark from one crime scene along with a pop bottle bearing his fingerprints from another location.
In video evidence shown earlier this month during court proceedings, one victim described being forced to drink urine from that bottle by their attacker.
The trial will resume on Monday.
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