Brian Rooney

Brian Rooney (c. 1970) is a construction worker who was convicted of the abduction and murder of 21-year-old college student Michelle Gardner-Quinn, a senior from the University of Vermont, located in Burlington, Vermont.

The victim's body was found October 13, 2006 in a ravine at the Huntington Gorge in Richmond. An autopsy on Michelle Gardner-Quinn revealed that she had been sexually assaulted and cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head. Rooney was officially charged with her murder on October 25, 2006 when DNA from the sexual assault linked him to her.

Michelle Gardner-Quinn

On October 7, 2006 at 2:34 A.M., a jewelry store camera had caught Rooney walking on a sidewalk with the victim. It has been said that Gardner-Quinn had borrowed Rooney's cell phone to try to reunite with friends that she had been out with. According to Vermont police, it is also said that Rooney was the last person to see Gardner-Quinn alive.

Criminal history

Federal charges were filed against Rooney as of 1998. He is currently being charged with lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor in Essex County, which is 80 miles east of the university. He is also being charged with sexual assault on a minor and on an 18 year old woman. Rooney is believed to have used ether-soaked cloths to subdue and incapacitate the woman in order to sexually assault or rape her. A former girlfriend (with whom he had a child) has said that he threatened to kill her on numerous occasions. According to court documents, Rooney is believed to be the father of three children from three different mothers.

Guilty Verdict

Brian Rooney was found guilty of the murder of Michelle Gardner-Quinn on Thursday, May 22, 2008. He was sentenced to life in prison. [cite web
url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2008/05/22/jury_convicts_man_in_rape_killing_of_vermont_collegian/
title=Jury convicts man in rape-killing of Vermont collegian - Boston.com
publisher=www.boston.com
accessdate=2008-05-23
last=
first=]

Appeal

As of late, Rooney is now seeking a new trial. Rooney claims the judge gave improper instructions to the jury and that government witnesses misled jurors about the reliability of DNA evidence. His defence lawyer is taking advantage of an appeals process that is automatic in Vermont murder convictions.

Rooney's lawyer also plans to argue that he should be acquitted outright because the State failed to prove that Gardner-Quinn's death occurred at the time of her rape, which is a requirement for the crime of aggravated murder with which he was charged. [cite web
url=http://www.examiner.com/a-1463669~Rooney_lawyer_wants_new_trial.html|title=Rooney Lawyer Wants New Trial- Examiner.com
publisher=www.boston.com
accessdate=2008-06-28
last=
first=]

References

External links

* [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-10-15-vt-suspect_x.htm Friends eulogize Vermont college student]
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/13/national/main2089077.shtml Memorial Held At University of Vermont]
* [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/16/national/main2090238.shtml Autopsy Under Way On Vermont Student]