Niagara Regional Police are hoping that a reward of up to $50,000 can help spark tips in the unsolved murder case of two young women, who were shot to death in a Fort Erie party house in January.
In a public appeal posted to NRPS website on Wednesday, police and the families of 20-year-old Windsor resident Juliana Pannunzio and 18-year-old Christine Crooks from Toronto pleaded for someone to come forward with information on what transpired in the house that led to the murder of the two young women, and who is responsible.
It was on January 19, around 4:17 a.m that police received a call from a witness alerting them of possible gunfire inside a residence on Fort Eries waterfront. Officers arrived to find the house, a well-known short-term rental known to harbor frequent parties, deserted, apart from the two young women who were left dead on the scene.
Offering the first glimpse into the investigation, Staff Sgt. Steve Magistrale of NRPS Major Crime Unit said a team of detectives continue to work the case, that now has a dedicated tip line for information about the murders.
"Investigators know that a group of individuals from outside the Niagara region attended this residence for a planned gathering," Magistrale said.
"Events occurred inside, that ultimately led to the death of Julianna and Christine."
Magistrale did not expand on those circumstances but said NRPS know there were a group of people at the residence that night that have not spoken to the police.
"We know there were people at the residence that night that can provide information to investigators," Magistrale said, adding that the $50,000 reward is 'an incentive' for those people to come forward.
Speaking alongside police, family members of both victims appeared to plead for answers.
"We know someone at that party saw what happened," said a family member of Pannunzio in the emotional pledge, asking for closure in the untimely death of the 20-year-old Windsor woman.
"Please come forward."
