The serial killer Levi Bellfield is set to undergo a DNA test as part of an investigation into whether Michael Stone was wrongly convicted for the 1996 murders of Lin and Megan Russell. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) will obtain a sample from Bellfield, who is serving whole-life sentences for multiple murders.
Stone has maintained his innocence since his 1998 conviction for killing Lin Russell, 45, and her daughter Megan, six, and attacking Megan's sister Josie, then nine, who survived. The CCRC is examining the case after Bellfield claimed he was the real killer. Advances in DNA technology may now allow previously unidentified male genetic material from the crime scene to be linked to an individual.
Bellfield's solicitor, Theresa Clark, stated that he would likely cooperate with the DNA test. Meanwhile, Stone's solicitor, Karen Todner, confirmed that Stone provided his own DNA to investigators on Thursday. Todner noted that earlier DNA testing had revealed two categories of male DNA at the scene, one belonging to Lin's husband Shaun and the other unidentified. New techniques could potentially match that DNA to a person.
Todner also highlighted that the only evidence against Stone came from Damien Daly, a fellow prisoner who claimed Stone confessed. Daly was later convicted of murder, and Todner argued that the jury in that case disbelieved him. Exhibits from the original scene, including a shoelace and sticks, remain available, but a lunchbox containing a bloody fingerprint has been lost. Bellfield has confessed to the Russell murders multiple times but also retracted his admission, casting doubt on his credibility.
