Practically 50 years after a teenage babysitter was stabbed to demise in a Colorado Springs condominium advanced, a assassin has been recognized, police introduced Wednesday.
Just one downside: the person died 14 years in the past.
The suspect, recognized by the Colorado Springs Police Division as William Charles Kernan, Jr., died in 2010, police mentioned in a Wednesday information launch. No explanation for demise was recognized.
“The household and mates of Maria Honzell have waited over 47 years to get justice for Maria,” police mentioned within the launch. “By years of research and investigation, CSPD is proud to lastly present solutions to Maria’s family members.”
On Feb. 7, 1977 round 11:21 p.m., officers responded to stories of a attainable suicide within the 5400 block of North Nevada Avenue, in keeping with the discharge.
When officers arrived they discovered 14-year-old Maria Honzell lifeless on the ground with a number of stab wounds to her chest and neck, the discharge acknowledged.
Honzell was babysitting her neighbor’s two youngsters that evening, police mentioned.
The neighbor had contacted Honzell earlier within the night and every part was superb, however when she arrived residence round 11:20 p.m., she discovered the teenage babysitter lifeless in the main bedroom, in keeping with a press release from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Neither of the kids have been harmed, and each have been safely asleep of their beds when Honzell’s physique was discovered, police mentioned.
The El Paso County coroner examined Honzell and dominated her demise a murder, however police investigators struggled to make progress figuring out a suspect.
As developments in DNA expertise progressed, investigators have been capable of develop a suspect profile from a blood stain on Honzell’s blue jumpsuit, worn the evening of her demise, in keeping with the discharge.
No match was discovered for the DNA till 2019, when the suspect DNA profile was in contrast with samples from a number of industrial family tree databases in partnership with Parabon NanoLabs, police mentioned within the launch.
Investigators recognized Kernan as an individual of curiosity, however discovered the person had died in 2010, police mentioned. Investigators have been unable to gather his DNA since he had been cremated and had no dwelling kinfolk.
Kernan was a scholar at a neighborhood faculty and an acquaintance of the girl Honzell had been babysitting for on the evening of her homicide, police mentioned. The investigation revealed Kernan had been to the condominium advanced a number of instances earlier than.
Police imagine Kernan was the individual liable for the homicide and have closed the case as “exceptionally cleared/demise of offender.”
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