Trial Underway for Maine Man Accused of 1986 Kidnapping and Murder of 11-Year-Old Girl

Nearly four decades after 11-year-old Kathleen Marie Flynn vanished following her classes at Ponus Ridge Middle School, the man accused of her brutal murder is finally facing a jury.

Marc Karun, 60, stands trial in Stamford Superior Court on charges of murder, murder with special circumstances, and first-degree kidnapping. The proceedings mark a pivotal moment in a cold case that haunted the Norwalk community for 40 years before Karun’s arrest in Maine in 2019.

On Monday, March 30, the prosecution called the victim’s mother, Esther Marie Flynn, to the stand. In emotional testimony, Flynn recounted the afternoon of September 23, 1986, when she waited at a designated intersection to meet her daughter. The pair had planned a shopping trip to buy Kathleen a new purse.

When the sixth-grader failed to appear, Flynn launched a desperate search, eventually involving local authorities. The following day, search teams discovered Kathleen’s body in a wooded area behind the middle school. Forensic investigators later confirmed the child had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

The prosecution’s case leans heavily on Karun’s proximity to the crime and a documented history of violence. Karun, who was 21 at the time of the killing, lived near the school and immediately drew police scrutiny.

Court records revealed a disturbing timeline leading up to the 1986 homicide:

• January 1986: Karun faced charges for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman in a wooded area.
• Pre-Trial Release: Despite the severity of those charges, they were reduced, and Karun served only a few months before being released shortly before Kathleen’s disappearance.
• Ongoing Investigations: An arrest warrant indicates Karun remained a suspect in at least four other abductions or attempted kidnappings between 1986 and 1988.

For decades, the case remained cold until advancements in forensic technology and renewed investigative efforts led Connecticut authorities to Karun’s residence in Maine.

Karun has remained in custody since his 2019 extradition. If convicted of murder with special circumstances, he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole. The trial is expected to continue through the week as prosecutors present DNA evidence and additional witness testimony to link Karun definitively to the crime scene.

The defense has yet to present its full case, though they are expected to challenge the reliability of decades-old witness memories and the handling of evidence from the original 1986 investigation.