After nearly half a century of unanswered questions, police have arrested a man in connection with the brutal murders of 18-year-old Theresa Marcoux and 20-year-old Mark Harnish. The break in the case came when investigators matched a bloody fingerprint from the 1978 crime scene to a decades-old taxi license application, leading to the arrest of 71-year-old Timothy Scott Joley.
The Chilling Crime: A Cold Case from 1978
On November 19, 1978, Marcoux and Harnish were discovered murdered near Route 5 in West Springfield, Massachusetts. The couple had been shot to death inside Harnish’s pickup truck, with their bodies dumped just over a nearby guardrail.
The Initial Investigation
- The Crime Scene: Harnish’s green Dodge truck was found with a broken window and traces of blood inside.
- Evidence Recovered: Detectives found a single bloody fingerprint on the passenger-side window.
- Witness Testimony: A local resident reported hearing gunshots around 4 a.m., aligning with the suspected time of the murders.
Despite comparing the fingerprint to over 70,000 entries in the Massachusetts Automated Fingerprint Identification System, police were unable to identify a suspect, leaving the case unsolved for 46 years.
A Breakthrough After Decades
In October 2024, a tipster contacted the West Springfield Police Department, claiming that Timothy Scott Joley was involved in the murders. This lead prompted investigators to revisit Joley’s records, including a 2000 taxi license application that required fingerprinting.
Key Evidence
- Fingerprint Match: Joley’s left thumbprint from the application was a perfect match for the bloody print found on Harnish’s truck.
- Weapon Ownership: Records revealed Joley owned a Colt handgun purchased one month before the murders.
- Residency: Joley lived in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the time of the crime but had no known connection to the victims.
Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni stated, “The match was definitive, providing investigators with the evidence they needed to arrest Joley.”
Who Is Timothy Scott Joley?
At the time of the murders, Joley was 25 years old and resided in Springfield. Despite owning a firearm, he had no significant criminal record and was not previously linked to the case. Now 71, he was living in Clearwater, Florida, at the time of his arrest.
Joley appeared in court on November 5, 2024, where he waived extradition. He is expected to return to Massachusetts to face charges of homicide.
Long-Awaited Justice
District Attorney Gulluni expressed cautious optimism about the arrest. “While we may have crossed a hill today and can see justice, there are many more uphill battles ahead,” he remarked.
The case now moves to court, bringing renewed hope to the families of Marcoux and Harnish, who have waited decades for answers.
