After 24 years of seeking answers in the death of his brutally "executed" son, a grieving dad revealed a new mysterious twist in the case that may be key to putting the killers behind bars.
Mark Corley, 23, was "executed by a brutal shooting" according to authorities in Nottingham, England, The Guardian and the BBC reported.
His body was discovered on a farm in December 2000, five months after he vanished. He was shot in the head.
In 2002, Robert Sutherland, 36, of Bathgate, West Lothian, pleaded not guilty to Mark's murder, according to the outlet. He denied conspiracy to murder with four men from Grantham, England: John Smith, 27, Gary Self, 36, Danny Gray, 21, and John Toseland, 59.
The case against the five suspects was subsequently thrown out after a judge ruled that police illegally bugged the men, and no one was ever charged with Mark's slaying.
His dad, Tony Corley, 70, has spent the last 24 years on a quest for justice, offering a $26,000 reward to anyone with information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
Now, for the first time, Corley revealed he received a mysterious email from someone who said they have information on Mark's killers.
"A long time after the reward was offered I had an email from someone saying they used to know the perpetrators but had changed their ways," said Corley, the New York Post reported, citing the SWNS newswire. "They said they needed time to decide if they wanted to say anything to me."
"I contacted the police about the potential tip and they took the email and phone number and tracked down the person who gave us the tip," he explained.
"They investigated and said it was true, but the tipster was frightened of perpetrators and they couldn't force him to give any information."
The injustice over Mark's murder has consumed Corley, precipitating a "life wasted" and the destruction of any meaningful relationships.
"It's made me very bitter – it's traumatized me. It's broken friends away from me because I'm short tempered, it's changed my life completely," he said.
"I've got no real friends, my partner left me at the time and it's had knock-on effects that people don't understand. It's like I'm doing my own life sentence. I've lost complete faith in the police – why is it somebody can get away with murder?"
"This has destroyed my life; I just exist," said Corley. "I want the police to understand and feel how I have done."
Corley said all he can do now is wait and see if there's a break in the case.
Police said Mark's murder is not under active investigation, but "should additional evidence or information be forthcoming, discussions will be held with the Crown Prosecution Service," according to the outlet.
