Jury selection begins for man charged in 1986 murder of 11-year-old Norwalk girl
Kathy Flynn, 11, disappeared on Sept. 23, 1986 while walking home from her middle school in Norwalk. The next morning she was found raped and strangled in the woods about 100 feet from the path she always took home. The case remained cold for decades until advances in DNA technology helped lead to an arrest in 2019.
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Jury selection began Wednesday in a nearly 40-year-old case out of Norwalk—the murder and sexual assault of an 11-year-old-girl while she was walking home from school.
In 1986, Kathleen Flynn, known as Kathy, had just started sixth grade at Ponus Ridge Middle School when her life ended. Now, decades later, the man Norwalk police believe is responsible will stand trial at Stamford Superior Court.
Marc Karun, now 60, is charged with murder, kidnapping and murder with special circumstances. He faces the possibility of life without parole. The murder with special circumstances charge is due to the victim being under the age of 16.
Flynn’s death haunted the community for generations. In fact, one prospective juror was excused after she told attorneys this crime traumatized her as a child. Others said the subject matter of the case—the murder of a child—would make it difficult to be fair and impartial and were excused as well.
Three jurors were seated on Wednesday. A total of 16 people will be selected—12 jurors, plus four alternates.
On Sept. 23, 1986, Flynn's mom reported her missing when she didn't return from school. She was later found strangled and raped in the woods, about 100 feet from the path she always took home.
Court documents show detectives had their suspicions about Karun early on, interviewing the then-21-year-old as a potential suspect because the crime resembled a previous sexual assault in which Karun was charged.
In the years after, Karun was convicted of multiple sexual assaults, which police said resembled Flynn's case. The likeness of those crimes, coupled with advancements in DNA technology, led police to arrest Karun in June 2019 in Maine, where he was living.
It’s taken years for his case to go to trial, in part, because of superseding federal charges brought against Karun. Police said they found dozens of guns and nearly 15,000 rounds of ammunition at his home in Maine when they arrested him in connection with Flynn’s death. Karun wasn't allowed to own any firearms because of his prior felony convictions.
In 2024, he pleaded guilty to the federal gun charges, which allowed the homicide case to move forward.
Jury selection will continue over the next few weeks. The trial is slated to start Monday, March 30 and is expected to conclude by Monday, April 20.
PRIOR COVERAGE: Lieutenant: Cold case arrest bittersweet because it doesn't bring back Kathleen Flynn
Alleged 1986 cold case killer heads back to Connecticut
Arrest made in 1986 cold case murder of 11-year-old Norwalk girl
