By Seamus McGraw
October 25, 2006
BURLINGTON, VT (Crime Library) — Hours after Michelle Gardner-Quinn's battered body was pulled from a rocky gorge, her now-accused killer, already in police custody, called a police detective aside, according to court documents.
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Michelle Gardner-Quinn |
"I honestly don't know what I did that night," Brian Rooney reportedly told the detective. "If I did it, I deserve to die."
Rooney, already a thrice-accused sex offender, now charged with aggravated murder in the beating and strangulation death of the 21-year-old University of Vermont co-ed, will not die if convicted of her slaying. Under Vermont law, he does face a maximum sentence of life in prison with no possibility of parole.
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Brian Rooney |
Authorities charged Rooney Wednesday in connection with Michelle's death, alleging that he abducted the young woman as she walked home on Oct. 7 after spending an evening out with friends. Authorities alleged that he sexually assaulted her, strangled and bludgeoned her, and then concealed her body under branches and twigs in a remote section of a ravine where she was discovered a week later by hikers.
Next Page
Arrest Affidavit for Brian Rooney in the Murder of Michelle Gardner-Quinn
Information Release 10-25-06 PM
Rooney Charged With Aggravated Murder of Michelle Gardner-Quinn
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