After four decades of heartbreak and unanswered questions, justice may finally be within reach for the family of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco. Prosecutors say DNA solves cold case in the 1984 murder of the Long Island teen, leading to the arrest of 63-year-old Walmart employee Richard Bilodeau.
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, Bilodeau was charged Wednesday with murder after DNA evidence connected him to the brutal slaying that horrified the quiet community of Lynbrook, New York.
“This case haunted Long Island for decades,” Donnelly said. “But science and DNA evidence don’t lie. When you have a 100% match, we got the guy.”
The Night Theresa Disappeared
On November 10, 1984, Fusco left her job at the Hot Skates roller rink in tears after being fired. She never made it home. Nearly a month later, on December 5, her body was discovered “buried beneath leaves in a wooded area” just blocks away, Donnelly said.
Police at the time determined that Fusco had been raped, beaten, and strangled, her death sending shockwaves through the suburban community.
