Rafferty to hear from Tori’s family Tuesday

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Michael Rafferty, murderer of eight-year-old Tori Stafford, is to hear from the dead girl’s family before going to prison for life.  Rafferty was recently convicted of first-degree murder, sexual assault causing bodily harm and kidnapping of the Ontarian girl.

Tori was abducted from outside an elementary school in Woodstock, Ont., on April 8, 2009. He remains were later found by the RCMP.

Det. Sgt. Jim Smyth told the London jury: “I could see a portion of a garbage bag underneath the rocks. I moved one rock aside. I touched the bag because I didn’t know if it was a piece of scrap.” Inside the bag was Tori’s remains, he told the court.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Heeney has allowed Tori’s family to talk about their pain and the tragedy in front of Rafferty. They will be talking about the six weeks Tori was mysteriously missing, until the police found her remains and charged him and Terri-Lynne McClintic.

“We finally have peace. We can finally rest. Until the verdict, Tori wasn’t able to rest in peace. She deserved this verdict,” Tara McDonald said Saturday. “It was the most relief I have ever felt in my life. It felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off us.”

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said Monday that finally the court’s verdict has put an end to the ongoing misery of Tori’s family and the resident of Woodstock.

He said: “This investigation was a classic example of dogged police work from start to finish. Highly experienced OPP Det.-Insp. Bill Renton led an amazing team of hundreds investigators from the OPP and the Woodstock Police Service; forensic experts; support personnel from a variety of disciplines including search teams, behavioural sciences experts, administrative staff and more.”