Recently, officials were able to crack four unsolved murders and rapes that took place way back in 1980 and 1995 by using DNA evidence. The suspect, Billy Ray Richardson, a 75 year old man from Texas, was arrested. Kari Lenander, Beverly Cruse, and Debra Cruse were the victims as well as Trina Wilson, murdered in Los Angeles and Inglewood, respectively.
Back in 1980, Lenander was on the way to a party before the crime occurred. She and her friend Toni Garfield, both 15, went dancing and hitchhiked in a white man’s car on the way back. Garfield was dropped off early, but Lenander insisted that she would “keep partying” with the driver, according to The Los Angeles Times Magazine.
Lenander’s body was found in the street at around 3 am, 5 hours after she was picked up. Police found out that the driver, by the name of Ken, wasn’t guilty because a private lab DNA test concluded that the suspect was black.
In 2012, Los Angeles policemen offered a $50,000 reward for information regarding Leander’s murderer. There was also a $25,000 reward for the discovery of Wilson’s murderer; she was found near an Inglewood Park on Dec. 31, 1995, but the circumstances of her death remain unclear. It was known that she had two children at the time of her death. “My mom was a great woman—happy, loving, caring—and has been extremely missed in our family,” said Wilson’s daughter Latasha Thomas, who was only 7 when the crime occurred.
However, it is unknown whether Richardson had a lawyer to comment on his behalf. It is also unknown whether any of the victims knew him personally. However, researchers are confident that he was the perpetrator, because multiple DNA scans and fingerprint tests helped narrow it down from a group of people to a singular person. “That information limited the direction I needed to go,” said Detective Tim Marcia in the Los Angeles Times.
Richardson is now in custody and awaiting further comment from the police. In the meantime, families, friends, and other parts of the community are showing their sadness as well as their gratitude. “I want to commend the tenacious and dedicated work of those who helped solve these horrific crimes,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “I cannot imagine the pain that these families have endured. 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.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/billy-ray-richardson-texas-4-cold-case-murders-beverly-cruse-debra-cruse-kari-lenander-trina-wilson-california/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/grief-and-relief-as-suspect-charged-in-lacold-cases
Back in 1980, Lenander was on the way to a party before the crime occurred. She and her friend Toni Garfield, both 15, went dancing and hitchhiked in a white man’s car on the way back. Garfield was dropped off early, but Lenander insisted that she would “keep partying” with the driver, according to The Los Angeles Times Magazine.
Lenander’s body was found in the street at around 3 am, 5 hours after she was picked up. Police found out that the driver, by the name of Ken, wasn’t guilty because a private lab DNA test concluded that the suspect was black.
In 2012, Los Angeles policemen offered a $50,000 reward for information regarding Leander’s murderer. There was also a $25,000 reward for the discovery of Wilson’s murderer; she was found near an Inglewood Park on Dec. 31, 1995, but the circumstances of her death remain unclear. It was known that she had two children at the time of her death. “My mom was a great woman—happy, loving, caring—and has been extremely missed in our family,” said Wilson’s daughter Latasha Thomas, who was only 7 when the crime occurred.
However, it is unknown whether Richardson had a lawyer to comment on his behalf. It is also unknown whether any of the victims knew him personally. However, researchers are confident that he was the perpetrator, because multiple DNA scans and fingerprint tests helped narrow it down from a group of people to a singular person. “That information limited the direction I needed to go,” said Detective Tim Marcia in the Los Angeles Times.
Richardson is now in custody and awaiting further comment from the police. In the meantime, families, friends, and other parts of the community are showing their sadness as well as their gratitude. “I want to commend the tenacious and dedicated work of those who helped solve these horrific crimes,” said District Attorney George Gascón. “I cannot imagine the pain that these families have endured. 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.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/billy-ray-richardson-texas-4-cold-case-murders-beverly-cruse-debra-cruse-kari-lenander-trina-wilson-california/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/grief-and-relief-as-suspect-charged-in-lacold-cases
