The past week, detectives found and arrested Billy Ray Richardson, 75, in Fort Worth, Texas for the murders and rapes of 4 women: Kari Lenander, Trina Wilson, Beverly Cruse, and her sister Debra Cruse.
The authorities tied the crimes to Mr. Richarson using DNA evidence. Richardson has been charged with 4 counts of murder and a couple others. He was taken into custody, and currently is at Tarrant County Jail waiting to be deported to Los Angeles.
“I cannot imagine the pain that these families have endured,” stated George Gascón, Los Angeles’ district general, “Their loss is immeasurable. We hope that together we can bring justice to the families who have endured so much and have waited years for this moment.”
The case wasn’t touched for thirty years after a DNA profiling machine determined the suspect was white, which ended up not being true. The cases were brought back until 2001, when detectives opened an investigation related to Lenander’s murder. They offered 50 grand to people willing to give information, conviction, and arrest in 2012.
Tim Marcia, a detective for the LAPD, had some leads on this but couldn’t make a name with the evidence. “That information limited the direction I needed to go,” Detective Marcia said in an interview, “Instead of having one big, whole pie, I got it down to a quarter of the pie.”
The authorities tied the crimes to Mr. Richarson using DNA evidence. Richardson has been charged with 4 counts of murder and a couple others. He was taken into custody, and currently is at Tarrant County Jail waiting to be deported to Los Angeles.
“I cannot imagine the pain that these families have endured,” stated George Gascón, Los Angeles’ district general, “Their loss is immeasurable. We hope that together we can bring justice to the families who have endured so much and have waited years for this moment.”
The case wasn’t touched for thirty years after a DNA profiling machine determined the suspect was white, which ended up not being true. The cases were brought back until 2001, when detectives opened an investigation related to Lenander’s murder. They offered 50 grand to people willing to give information, conviction, and arrest in 2012.
Tim Marcia, a detective for the LAPD, had some leads on this but couldn’t make a name with the evidence. “That information limited the direction I needed to go,” Detective Marcia said in an interview, “Instead of having one big, whole pie, I got it down to a quarter of the pie.”
