A New York woman broke down into tears when police told her they cracked her 14-year-old daughter’s 1984 cold case murder through a DNA familial search.
Timothy Williams, 56, of Melbourne, Fla., was arrested on rape and murder charges in the death of Wendy Jerome nearly 36 years ago, Rochester police announced this Friday.
“It’s over,” cried mom Marlene Jerome. “It’s finally over. Our family can go on with their lives.” Jerome became frantic on that Thanksgiving Day in 1984 when Wendy never came home after delivering a birthday card to her best friend.
Police found her body next to a large trash bin. They said she died a brutal death. “Honestly, the extent of the injuries are too horrendous to talk about here,” Rochester Police Capt. Frank Umbrino told a news conference.
According to DailMail
More than three decades after a 14-year-old girl was found raped and brutally murdered in Rochester, New York, police armed with a DNA match arrested a Florida man in connection to the cold case.
Timothy Williams, 56, faces second-degree murder charges in the Thanksgiving Day 1984 killing of Wendy Jerome.
He was arrested at his home in Melbourne, Florida, last Wednesday, and authorities are bringing him to New York, Rochester officials announced at an emotional news conference on Friday.
Familial DNA information provided a list of names, including that of Williams, as investigative leads, police said.
WESH2 reported that he made his initial court appearance on Thursday and waived his right to an extradition hearing.
Marlene Jerome, who worked with police investigating her daughter’s death for more than three decades, told reporters she thought she’d never see this day.
'I just wish my husband was alive to see this,' she said through tears, as Democrat and Chronicle reported. 'He died in 2011. And I know he’s up there, with her, smiling and saying it’s over. It’s finally over.'
