An 86-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the killing of a married couple who died after being blasted with a 12-bore shotgun more than 30 years ago.
Harry Tooze, 64, and Megan Tooze, 67, were killed at their farmhouse in Llanharry, south Wales, in 1993.
Jonathan Jones, the boyfriend of their daughter Cheryl, was jailed for life in 1995 for the murders but was released by the court of appeal in 1996 after Cheryl launched a campaign protesting his innocence.
South Wales police started a forensic review of the case in 2023, and detectives on Wednesday arrested an 86-year-old man, who is in police custody.
The senior investigating officer, Det Supt Mark Lewis, said: “While this arrest is clearly a significant development in the investigation, our inquiries are very much ongoing.
“This case has affected many people over the years and our aim is to find the answers to the unanswered questions which remain about their deaths over 30 years on. Even with this passage of time I appeal to anyone who has any information about the murders to come forward and speak to police.”
On the morning of 26 July 1993, the Toozes left the farm to collect their pensions in Llanharry and were seen arriving back at 11am.
At about 1.30pm neighbours heard two gunshots, but this was not considered unusual being on a farm.
Police were called when a regular phone call from their daughter went unanswered. Officers went to the farm and discovered the Toozes’ bodies in a cow shed.
At the time, Jones, then 35, was a self-employed recruitment consultant and was arrested five months after the murders.
Cheryl moved in with his family in Caerphilly after his arrest.
Three appeal court judges took five minutes to reach their decision to overturn his conviction less than a year after he was found guilty.
The original trial judge was criticised by the court of appeal and it later emerged police had failed to seal the crime scene properly.
