Charles Berry, 66, was linked to the killing of Roberta Walls through forensic genealogy and DNA comparison nearly 40 years after her death
Charles Berry, 66, of Newington, Connecticut, was arrested earlier this week in connection with the 1986 rape and murder of 22-year-old Roberta Walls in Virginia Beach, Virginia, according to ABC News.
Authorities discovered Walls dead in a field located behind an elementary school on May 15, 1986. The charges against Berry include rape and capital murder in the commission of a rape.
Forensic work in 2001 yielded a male DNA profile that was submitted to the national DNA databank, where it returned no matching results. Over the years, investigators tested the DNA of more than 30 men against the profile; none was a match.
Grant funding secured by the Virginia Beach Police Department in 2023 enabled the use of forensic genealogy techniques, which led investigators to a potential suspect with deep connections to the area at the time of the crime. A subsequent comparison of DNA samples directly tied Berry to the profile on file, according to ABC News.
At the time Walls was killed, Berry was an active-duty Navy sailor posted to the Virginia Beach area. Police said there is no indication the two knew each other, and Berry had never previously attracted law enforcement attention.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate addressed the case at a news conference, saying it was "incredibly scary for the community to think that someone who would rape and brutally murder someone 40 years ago was out in society," according to ABC News.
As of this writing, Berry is being held in Connecticut; available court records offer no information about legal representation, according to ABC News.