Bio

Jules Pierre Nicolas Mikus was born on September 28, 1958, in New Zealand. Before he became known for the murder of Teresa Cormack, he already had a long criminal record that began when he was a teenager.

Mikus first came before the courts in the 1970s. In 1973, when he was still young, he received two years of supervision for a sexual offence involving a girl under 12. In 1974, he was dealt with again for indecent assault involving a girl between 12 and 16. More convictions followed in 1976 and 1977, including further indecent assault and other offences.

His record was not limited to sexual offences. During the late 1970s and 1980s, Mikus was also convicted of burglary, theft, dangerous driving, fraud, carrying an offensive weapon, cannabis possession, and other crimes. In 1984, he was convicted of assault with intent to rape and was sentenced to two years in prison.

By 1987, Mikus was one of the people police looked at after six-year-old Teresa Cormack disappeared in Napier. Police searched his home and vehicle and took blood and saliva samples from him. However, DNA testing was still very limited at that time. Mikus also gave an alibi, and police did not charge him during the original investigation.

For almost 15 years, Mikus remained free while Teresa’s murder stayed unsolved. Police kept important evidence from the crime scene, including semen samples and pubic hairs. As DNA science improved, investigators were later able to test that evidence again and compare it with samples from suspects.

In 2002, the new DNA testing linked Mikus to the evidence from Teresa’s body. He was arrested on February 26, 2002, when he was 44 years old and living in Lower Hutt. He denied the charges, but the forensic evidence became the key part of the case against him.

Murder Story

Teresa Maida Cormack was born in Napier, New Zealand, on June 18, 1981. She was six years old when she was murdered. On June 19, 1987, the day after her birthday, Teresa left home to walk to Richmond School. She never arrived at school. When she did not come home, police and volunteers began a large search for her.

Eight days later, Teresa’s body was found at Whirinaki Beach, north of Napier. She had been partly buried near the beach. A post-mortem examination found that she had been sexually assaulted and suffocated.

Police collected important evidence from Teresa’s body and clothing, including semen and three pubic hairs. However, DNA testing was still very limited in 1987. Investigators could not use the evidence to clearly identify the killer at that time.

Jules Pierre Nicolas Mikus was questioned during the original investigation. Police searched his home and vehicle and took samples from him. He was not charged then because the available forensic testing was not strong enough, and he had given police an alibi.

For years, Teresa’s murder remained unsolved. Police kept the evidence from the case, and as DNA technology improved, investigators reopened the file. Scientists later tested the preserved evidence again. This time, they were able to build a DNA profile from the material found on Teresa’s body.

Investigators compared the DNA profile with hundreds of samples from possible suspects. In February 2002, the DNA was matched to a blood sample Mikus had given in 1987. Testing also connected pubic hairs from the case to him. The DNA evidence became the key breakthrough after almost 15 years.

Mikus was arrested on February 26, 2002. He was charged with abducting, raping, sexually violating, and murdering Teresa Cormack. His trial began in the High Court at Wellington on September 30, 2002. Mikus pleaded not guilty.

At trial, the Crown said Mikus abducted Teresa and took her to a remote part of Whirinaki Beach. Prosecutors said he sexually violated her and then killed her by covering her nose and mouth. The Crown also presented evidence that Teresa had eaten a pink jube lolly shortly before her death. The DNA evidence was the strongest part of the case against Mikus.

On October 8, 2002, the jury found Mikus guilty of murder, rape, sexual violation, and detaining Teresa against her will. The jury reached its verdict after about two and a half hours.

On November 1, 2002, Mikus was sentenced in the High Court at Wellington. He received life imprisonment for murder, preventive detention for rape, and 14 years each for abduction and sexual violation. Preventive detention meant he had no set release date and could remain in prison for life.

Mikus later tried to challenge his conviction. In 2011, the Court of Appeal refused his application. He argued about the DNA evidence, but the court rejected his claims.

Mikus was later considered for parole, but he was not released. In 2016, the Parole Board denied parole and said he remained a high risk. The board also noted that he had not properly addressed his offending.

Jules Mikus died in prison on December 6, 2019. He was being held at Rimutaka Prison and was reported to have had a brain tumour. He died while still maintaining his innocence.