Detectives in Toronto and Florida say two long-stalled armored-car cases on opposite sides of the border are suddenly starting to look like parts of the same story, after a new wave of cold-case work and DNA testing.
Fresh reporting this week says investigators in St. Petersburg, Florida have chased down leads that could connect the 1982 killing of a Brinks employee there to suspects linked with a 1980 daytime Brinks robbery in Toronto.
As reported by the Toronto Sun, St. Petersburg detectives wrapped up a renewed probe into the 1982 Tyrone Square Mall shooting of Brinks carrier Joseph Warner and came away with leads pointing toward Montreal-based suspects. In response, Toronto’s cold-case unit has started re-testing evidence from the 1980 Agincourt Mall slaying, looking for possible DNA and genetic-genealogy matches. Cold-case detective Andrew Doyle told the paper the unit “have generated new evidence and are going all in.”
According to the Toronto Police Service, 24-year-old Larry Terry Roberts was ambushed and shot inside Agincourt Mall on April 24, 1980 while making a cash delivery for Brinks. Fellow guard Theodore (Ted) Montgomery was wounded in the same attack. For full case details see the Toronto Police Service cold-case page.
Florida Case Renewed After DNA Push
In Florida, authorities say 44-year-old Brinks employee Joseph Warner was shot and killed on January 23, 1982 while collecting deposits outside a department store at Tyrone Square Mall. St. Petersburg detectives reopened that case after new DNA testing on recovered evidence, and local coverage notes Brinks offered a reward as investigators chased fresh leads.
As reported by WUSF and FOX 13, modern forensic testing combined with new tips convinced detectives to give the Warner case another hard look.
Why Cops Think The Two Jobs May Be Linked
The Toronto Sun reports that investigators see overlap in both method and movement. Two vehicles recovered near the Agincourt Mall scene in 1980 were traced back to the Montreal area, and the license plates on those cars had been stolen from the Ottawa region. South of the border, Florida detectives say interviews with incarcerated associates produced leads that also point toward Montreal.
Police told reporters that anyone involved in the robberies and killings would now likely be in their 60s to 80s, if still alive. Brinks has reportedly put up a CAD$100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Both Toronto and St. Petersburg investigators stress that the work is very much ongoing and say they are eager for tips. Anyone with information about either case is urged to contact local homicide units or Crime Stoppers. This story will be updated as authorities release further details.
