Joan Ryther's accused killer to launch bail bid
DNA samples from materials collected at the scene where Logan woman Joan Canino-Ryther was raped and murdered allegedly match samples police took from a teenager accused of killing her, court documents reveal.
Mrs Ryther, who was three months pregnant with her first child, was attacked as she walked the one kilometre from her home to work the 9pm shift at Macdonalds at Woodridge on May 21.
A passer-by found the 27-year-old's partially clothed body the next morning.
The documents also reveal the 18-year-old told police he did not see Mrs Ryther on the night of May 21 and did not have "any personal knowledge or involvement in the crime".
The teenager cannot be identified for legal reasons.
The information is contained in a bail application to the Brisbane Supreme Court which was lodged yesterday by the teen's defence lawyer, Michael Bosscher.
The application also includes part of the police brief which says police inquiries have also established "that the defendant was last seen in the vicinity of the location where the deceased was located at approximately 8.30pm on the same evening (of the 21st)."
Police also conducted "exhaustive" scientific testing of material taken from the body and clothing of Mrs Ryther.
"Police will allege that they have matched DNA samples creating a significant nexus between the defendant and the crime scene," according to the documents.
The postmortem revealed Mrs Ryther had suffered from facial and head injuries as well as being sexually assaulted.
Following his arrest on May 31 at a Woodridge unit, the teen declined to be interviewed. He was hcharged with rape, murder and the unlawful assault of a pregnant woman.
The teenager appeared in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Tony Donovan told the court it could take investigators between six and 12 months to compile a brief of evidence.
Magistrate Trevor Morgan ordered an initial brief be compiled by August 5 and remanded the teenager in custody.
Outside the court, Mr Bosscher told media his client was willing to provide police with a DNA sample, although he had not yet been ordered to do so.
He said the teenager, who was arrested the day before his 18th birthday, was ‘‘very anxious about his situation’’ and would vigorously defend all of the charges.
The hearing for the bail application is set down for June 12 at the Brisbane Supreme Court.
