AC/DC: New person of interest emerges in the band’s former manager Crispin Dye’s death
AC/DC: A new person of interest emerges after the death of former band manager Crispin Dye
A major forensic breakthrough has been made in the unsolved murder of former AC/DC executive Crispin Dye, nearly thirty years after his death.
Key evidence untested since 1993 was recently sent to the lab for analysis, bringing up a new person of interest in the cold case.
On Tuesday, a NSW inquiry into possible deaths from gay hate resumed, focusing on the murder of the legendary Australian rock band’s long-term manager in Sydney nearly 30 years ago.
Mr Dye died on Christmas Day 1993, aged 41, one day after being attacked near Oxford St in the inner-city suburb of Darlinghurst, where he had been celebrating the release of his debut solo album.
A 1995 inquest shed no light on the matter, and a $100,000 reward also went nowhere.
A major forensic breakthrough has been made in the unsolved murder of former AC/DC executive Crispin Dye (pictured), nearly 30 years after his death
However, the 2023 inquiry previously found that Mr Dye’s blood-stained jeans and denim shirt were never sent for forensic analysis and other pieces of evidence were lost.
Potentially crucial information written on two slips of paper found in his shirt pocket also went undetected in an evidence box for nearly thirty years.
Counsel assisting the inquiry, Meg O’Brien, said it was “extraordinary” NSW police officers who had not previously discovered the pieces of paper in Mr Dye’s shirt, given the numerous inquiries into his death.
On Tuesday, a NSW inquiry into possible deaths from homophobia resumed, focusing on the murder of the long-term manager of legendary Australian rock band AC/DC (pictured) in Sydney nearly 30 years ago.
“What is particularly troubling about this is that the scraps of paper found in the investigation… may have been a source of fingerprints or DNA, which in turn may have provided the police with information about the attacker(s) of the Lord Dye,” she said.
Following the direction of the inquiry, five items of clothing – including Mr Dye’s jeans and shirt – were submitted for analysis and it was the first time any of the items had been subjected to forensic examination.
Blood on the back pocket of the jeans in July was found to contain DNA from an unidentified man that matched a profile obtained from another crime scene.
Documents produced by NSW Police showed that the crime scene was a home in Glenwood where a burglary had been reported in 2002.
The DNA match resulted in a previously unknown man being identified as a person of interest in connection with Mr Dye’s death.
“The existence of the man’s DNA in a bloodstain on Mr Dye’s jeans is consistent with his having made physical contact with Dye the night he was attacked,” said Ms O’Brien.
However, the 2023 inquiry previously found that Mr Dye’s blood-stained jeans and denim shirt were never sent for forensic analysis and other pieces of evidence were lost.
However, the inquiry was unable to draw any conclusions from publicly available information as to what role the individual played in Mr Dye’s death, if any, and the individual in question later committed suicide in late 2002.
“The investigation’s 2023 identification of (the man) as a person of interest in connection with Mr Dye’s death in 1993 demonstrates the importance of timely and repeated forensic testing of evidence, even in so-called cold cases.”
She said the motivations of Mr Dye’s attacker(s) remained unknown, but there was “objective reason” to suspect the attack was motivated in whole or in part by LGBTQI prejudice.
Some of Mr Dye’s friends believed the attack was a hate crime, but police have not classified it as such because the attack took place at a known robbery site.
But Ms O’Brien pointed to expert advice previously provided for the study that most LGBTQI hate crimes were opportunistic and many perpetrators also took the opportunity to rob their victims.
The Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ Hate Crimes has investigated the deaths of homosexuals between 1970 and 2010.
The Commissioner, Supreme Court Justice John Sackar, will present a final report to the state government in December.
Potentially crucial information, written on two scraps of paper found in his shirt pocket, also went undetected in an evidence box for nearly thirty years.