Julie Stanton Murder Case: How Did Her Killer ‘Peter Stark’ Die? – The family was left perplexed by the unexplained disappearance of a teenager in April 1990. The police investigating Julie Stanton’s abduction had a suspect, but no hard proof linking him to her disappearance.
‘The Case That Haunts Me: Project Hitchhiker,’ a documentary on Investigation Discovery, tells the story of Julie’s disappearance and how the police tracked down the perpetrator. So if you’re interested in learning more, we’ve got you covered.
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What Caused Julie Stanton’s Death?
Julie Ann Stanton was born in August 1975 in Liverpool, England. She was living in Pickering, Ontario, Canada, at the time of the occurrence. The 14-year-old was described as a popular young lady who had a good relationship with her parents. As a result, her sudden disappearance on April 16, 1990, was unique. When Julie didn’t return home, her parents became concerned, prompting an extended search.
Julie’s first notion that she was a runaway rapidly gave way to a far more troubling conclusion. The search for her, however, was fruitless. Authorities knew she had been murdered after conducting an investigation, but they had a difficult time locating her remains.
After discovering skeletal fragments in June 1996, a farmer contacted the authorities. Julie’s body was discovered in Peterborough, Ontario. They’d been exposed to the outdoors and animals by that point, making it difficult to pinpoint a cause of death.
Who Killed Julie Stanton and Why?
Almost immediately, the authorities had a suspect in mind: Peter Stark. He was Julie’s best friend Kim’s father. On April 16, 1990, neighbours saw Julie get into a car. The driver and vehicle were identical to Peter and his vehicle. He was also said to have seen Julie for lunch that afternoon to discuss about Kim. The case was halted because there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest Peter.
The detectives learned more about Peter’s background and discovered some troubling information. He has a history of assaulting women. During the 1960s, Peter picked up a hitchhiker and forced her to have sex with him using a knife. After a scuffle, Peter stabbed her numerous times. The hitchhiker, on the other hand, managed to get away. He was only sentenced to six months in prison for this.
Maria Woods, 31, went missing in 1981 and was dating Peter at the time, according to the episode. Maria’s body was discovered five years later, and a forensic anthropologist subsequently determined that she had been shot. An unusual gun fired a round casing found at the crime scene. Peter’s father had previously given him a weapon of the same type.
Furthermore, Peter’s actions during Julie’s disappearance piqued the authorities’ interest. On that particular day, he was a little later than usual in picking up his wife. Peter had scratches on his back and preferred his clothes to be unkempt and dirty.
He said that he was attempting to repair his car’s catalytic converter as a result of all of this. The vehicle Peter was driving, on the other hand, didn’t even have a catalytic converter.
How Did Julie Stanton Killer ‘Peter Stark’ Die?
In December 1994, Peter Stark was convicted guilty of first-degree murder. According to the prosecution, he met Julie by pretending to talk about his daughter, but then raped and murdered her with an axe. Despite the lack of a body, Peter was found guilty. A jailhouse informant said at the time that Peter confessed to the murder to him.
He killed Julie because he was afraid she would notify her parents if she refused his sexual attempts. In 2000, Peter’s counsel attempted to obtain a new trial on the grounds that Julie’s bones did not appear to have been cut by an axe. He was, however, unsuccessful. During his later years, Peter was allowed to leave prison to seek medical treatment for an unidentified disease.
On August 27, 2016, he died in the Bath Institution in Kingston, Ontario. Peter died at the age of 71, and the cause of death was never revealed.
