Arrest Made in 11-Year-Old Homicide

KINGSTON, ON, March 2 /CNW/ - Today, officers of the Joint Forces Penitentiary Squad, under the direction of Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Detective Inspector Dave Quigley, arrested a 52-year-old man for the 1999 murder of a Millhaven inmate.

On July 14, 1999, twenty-four (24) year old Scott Barnett, an inmate at the maximum security Millhaven Institution, collapsed and was found unconscious while in the prison's yard. Barnett was transported to the Kingston General Hospital but died the following day.

A post mortem examination was performed indicating the cause of death to be cyanide poisoning.

The Penitentiary Squad, under the direction of the Ontario Provincial Police, Criminal Investigation Branch continued their investigation into this homicide. In 2006, the case was reviewed and new information was identified by applying a new investigative strategy.

Today, Phillip VINCE, 52 was arrested and charged with the first degree murder of Scott Barnett. VINCE was arrested at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary where he is serving a life sentence for 2-first degree murder sentences that resulted from two homicides that occurred in 1985 in Durham Region.

VINCE was also imprisoned at Millhaven Institution at the time of BARNETT's murder.

VINCE is being returned to Kingston, Ontario by the Penitentiary Squad and will appear in Napanee court on Thursday, March 4, 2010.

The Joint Forces Penitentiary Squad is comprised of investigators from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Kingston Police Force (KPF). Police have been assisted throughout this investigation by members of Correctional Services Canada.

The investigation is continuing and anyone with information about this murder is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or CrimeStoppers. Additionally, information about this case can be found on OPP.ca in the Criminal Investigation Branch "Unsolved Cases" area. Tips can be emailed to police through this site.

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For further information: Contact: Sgt. Kristine Rae, Phone: [phone], www.opp.ca