Cold case arrest made in Toronto

TORONTO - A fugitive wanted by U.S. authorities in connection with the attempted murder of a Chicago police officer more than 30 years ago has been arrested in Toronto.

Joseph Pannell, 55, was charged in 1972 with the shooting of the officer, which left the officer partly paralysed. Pannell escaped while out in bail.

Joseph Pannell

Police allege Pannell changed his name to Douglas Freeman while in Toronto and was working at the city's public library for the past 13 years.

Pannell was arrested Tuesday night in the library parking lot by members of the Immigration task force.

Pannell was considered a cold case until earlier this month when the FBI contacted the RCMP and asked them to run Pannell's fingerprints through its database.

Police say they found a match with Douglas Freeman for a federal conviction in 1983.

Police were able to track him down in three days.

Pannell, who is from the U.S., is facing possible extradition but remains in custody.

Police say Pannell lived in Montreal before moving to Toronto. They said he was married and had a family.

Investigators said they are trying to determine how he obtained a new identity.

There was a young man who went to the Metro Reference branch of the Toronto Public Library regularly in the spring of 1996; he was working on the design of a Website and a computer program there. The staff took some delight in picking on this poor fellow.

There's no need to explain why now!

OK, all you "he has already suffered enough" folks line up over there, naturally, on the left!

We'll get all that barbra streisand about "having made a contribution to society" and "led a productive life." Very little concern by these sleazy liberals for the guy he shot.

Let's see, Illinois is a "no death penalty" state so the Canadians may extradite him.

Here's an old thread that talks of a real cop killer:
(2001)

Letter to Maxine Waters from Larry Elder, L.A. talk show host

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/555860/posts

Snip..

In 1979, former Black Panther, Joanne Chesimard, gunned down a New Jersey State Highway Patrol Officer. A jury convicted her of murder, and sentenced her to life in prison. In a daring breakout, Chesimard escaped from prison and fled to Cuba. Congress passed a unanimous resolution urging Castro to send Chesimard back to America and face charges. You, however, wrote Castro a letter, urging him to let her stay, stating "she was persecuted as a result of her political beliefs and affiliations." You further likened her to Martin Luther King!

Unless he faces the death penalty, we'll almost certainly extradite him, barring exceptional circumstances. I don't necessarily agree with it, but we don't have the death penalty in Canada and we won't extradite to places where the suspect faces it. Usually what this means is that the prosecuting office (DA or whatever) in the location requesting extradition agrees not to seek the death penalty and then the suspect is extradited.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.