{
  "id": 14221057,
  "title": "Crown withdrawing charges after police lost crucial evidence in P.E.I. cold case",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/crown-withdrawing-charges-after-police-lost-crucial-evidence-in-p-e-i",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-13T14:40:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/uncategorized/2026/10/13/crown-withdrawing-charges-after-police-lost-crucial-evidence-in-p-e-i-cold-case"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a shocking turn of events, the Crown Attorney's Office in Prince Edward Island has decided to drop all charges against Todd Joseph Gallant, who was previously charged with first-degree murder and interfering with human remains in the 1988 murder of teacher Byron Carr. This decision comes after the police lost crucial evidence from the investigation.\n\nGallant, also known as Todd Joseph Irving, was charged in 2024 following an investigation into the 1988 killing of Carr in Charlottetown. The Crown Attorney's Office has now announced that there is no longer a reasonable likelihood of conviction due to the loss of critical physical evidence by the Charlottetown Police.\n\nIn August, the police informed the Crown that the majority of the physical evidence from the investigation had been lost. Carr, who was 36 at the time of his murder, was strangled and stabbed in his Charlottetown home. A message left at the scene read, \"I will kill again.\"\n\nGallant had pleaded not guilty to the charges, and a jury trial was scheduled for November. The decision to withdraw the charges marks a significant development in this decades-old cold case.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Crown Attorney's Office withdraws charges against Todd Joseph Gallant.",
    "Police lost crucial evidence in 1988 murder investigation.",
    "Gallant charged in 2024, trial scheduled for November."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}