A recent development points to a new main suspect in the case of the brutal killings of Lin and Megan Russell involving a hammer, according to reports. The tragic incident occurred in July 1996 when Lin, 45, and her six-year-old daughter Megan were viciously attacked while walking on a serene country lane near Chillenden, Kent.
The mother and her two young daughters were ambushed, then tied up, blindfolded, and brutally beaten with a claw hammer. Tragically, the family’s dog was also killed during the attack, leaving nine-year-old Josie with severe head injuries as the sole survivor.
Although Michael Stone was convicted in 1998 for two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with the case, new DNA samples are now being collected from him following a forensic review initiated by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).
Recent reports have associated the late carpenter Ray Buck, who took his own life in 2000, with the gruesome murders. An eyewitness reportedly heard Buck confessing on the day of the killings, and one of Buck’s sons has offered to provide a DNA profile, as reported by the Sun.
The CCRC has been contacted for a statement on this matter. This development follows the confirmation that DNA samples will also be taken from Levi Bellfield, a convicted serial killer, who previously claimed responsibility for the murders but later recanted his statement without any supporting evidence.
In addition to Bellfield and Stone, a DNA sample has been collected from Stone, who maintains his innocence in the killings of Lin and Megan Russell and the assault on Josie Russell. Stone was initially considered a suspect after an appeal on the BBC’s Crimewatch program, where he claimed to have no recollection of his whereabouts during the crimes.
Stone’s 1998 conviction was initially overturned due to a key witness admitting to lying. However, he was retried and convicted again in 2001 primarily based on the testimony of another inmate, Damien Daley, rather than direct forensic evidence linking Stone to the crime scene.