Girls’ Advocacy Group Demands Answers About Release of Murder Suspect

March 29, 2005

Justice for Girls is demanding to know why Terry Arnold--a suspect in several murders of women and girls and a convicted sexual molester-- was released from prison in 2002.  Arnold confessed to the murder of 16 year old Christine Browne in 1997.  After serving 5 years of a life sentence for that murder he was granted a new trial on appeal because of court procedure mistakes by defense.  Crown decided not to retry him despite his confession to the murder.  Joanna Czapska of Justice for Girls comments “We demand to know why the Crown did not retry Arnold and why he was released from prison despite being an obvious danger to girls and women”. 

Arnold was a prime suspect in the 1985 murder of Barbara Stoppel in Winnipeg.  He was also investigated in the 1987 murder of Denise Lapierre, 17, of Calgary.  Arnold was also suspected in the 1988 disappearance of 19-year-old Roberta Ferguson near Cultus Lake.  He was convicted for sexually assaulting (in 1988) a teenage girl in BC.  He spent 8 years in prison for sexually assaulting 4 Newfoundland girls.

Arnold committed suicide on Saturday.

Joanna Czapska
Justice for Girls