A new person of interest has been identified by forensic evidence in the death of Australian rock band AC/DC's former manager, Crispin Dye. Crispin died aged 41 on Christmas Day, 1993. He was discovered with multiple head injuries in an inner city Sydney suburb.
DNA from Crispin’s jeans and another crime scene have matched, according to the BBC. To focus on his alleged murder, an inquiry into possible gay hate crimes was resumed in New South Wales. The inquiry reportedly heard that Crispin’s clothes were never sent for forensic examination after his death. Two pieces of paper were also found in Crispin’s pocket – one that had blood stains on it, and the other a name. None of them were allegedly analysed.
Who is the person of interest?
The person of interest has been identified only as NP252, and reportedly died in 2002. NP252 reportedly had a criminal history, and had been convicted on assault charges in the past. It is unclear exactly what role the suspect played in Crispin’s death.
“The existence of [the male’s] DNA within a blood stain on Mr Dye’s jeans is consistent with his having made physical contact with Mr Dye on the night he was assaulted,” counsel assisting the inquiry, Meg O’Brien, said, according to The Guardian.
{{/usCountry}}“The existence of [the male’s] DNA within a blood stain on Mr Dye’s jeans is consistent with his having made physical contact with Mr Dye on the night he was assaulted,” counsel assisting the inquiry, Meg O’Brien, said, according to The Guardian.
{{/usCountry}}“What’s particularly troubling about this is that the pieces of paper found by the inquiry ... may have been a source of fingerprints or DNA, which in turn may have provided the police with information about Mr Dye’s assailant or assailants,” she said, adding, “It is plainly unsatisfactory that this evidence has lain untouched for nearly 30 years without being found or subjected to testing.”
The death of Crispin Dye
Crispin, from Far North Queensland, was out drinking with friends in Surry Hills and Darlinghurst on December 22, 1993. An intoxicated Crispin was later ordered to leave a hotel on the corner of Oxford and Bourke Street, Surry Hills.
He was assaulted and his wallet was robbed shortly after on the northern side of Campbell Street. According to NSW Police Public Site, “A witness reported seeing three males – of Pacific Islander appearance and aged in their late teens or early twenties – standing over Mr Dye’s unconscious body, before they ran from the scene in a northerly direction towards Goulburn Street. Two of the males were wearing baggy long pants and t-shirts while the third man was dressed in baggy knee-length shorts, a white t-shirt, joggers with white socks and a dark baseball cap.”
Crispin was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital, and later transferred to St George Hospital, where he died. Some of his friends believed that the murder was a hate crime. However, since the attack took place in a robbery hotspot, police did not classify it as the same.