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On a July evening in 1971, Rita Curran was discovered strangled in her condo in Burlington, Vermont.
For greater than a half century, the identification of the 24-year-old’s killer remained unknown.
However on Tuesday, authorities mentioned that they had lastly recognized her killer as William DeRoos, utilizing DNA obtained from a cigarette butt that was discovered close to Curran’s physique. He died in 1986, so he can by no means be prosecuted for her homicide.
Detectives “by no means stopped in search of” justice for the Curran household, Burlington’s performing police chief, Jon Murad, mentioned at a information convention.
Investigators in 2014 despatched the cigarette butt and different proof off for DNA evaluation. Whereas the check did compile a DNA profile of the one who had smoked the cigarette, it did not match any DNA in databases compiled by regulation enforcement.
A brand new group of detectives who picked up the case in 2019 had the DNA despatched to a personal family tree database and partial matches have been later discovered to folks associated to DeRoos.
Within the early morning hours of July 20, 1971, Burlington police have been referred to as to the Brooks Avenue condo after Curran’s roommate arrived house to seek out her physique.
DeRoos, then 31, had left his condo two flooring above Curran’s through the 70-minute window through which Curran was killed on July 19, 1971, after an argument together with his spouse of two weeks, Burlington Police Detective Lt. James Trieb, the commander of the Detective Companies Bureau, mentioned throughout a information convention.
However when cops knocked on the couple’s door and instructed them in regards to the killing the next morning, they mentioned that they had each been at house and had not seen or heard something.
Detectives lately re-interviewed DeRoos’ ex-wife, Trieb mentioned, and she or he instructed them he had truly left their condo through the time when Curran’s roommates have been out of her condo.
“William DeRoos instructed the cops that they have been house,” Trieb mentioned.
“Instantly upon closing the door, he turned to Michelle and instructed her that if the police ever confirmed up once more, she was to inform them that he was house all evening” due to his prison historical past, Trieb mentioned. “She believed him and she or he saved that lie up thrice.”
The couple’s “life plans” have been deserted after Curran’s loss of life, Trieb mentioned, and their marriage ended after DeRoos moved to Thailand. He later returned to the USA and married one other lady.
That lady was additionally interviewed by police and described violent outbursts by DeRoos. She described one event, Trieb mentioned, after they have been having dinner and “for no motive, he explodes and he assaults her and he strangles her with each fingers” till she misplaced consciousness.
“Our detective bureau, myself, the chief, we’re all assured that William DeRoos is accountable for the aggravated homicide of Rita Curran,” Trieb mentioned. “However as a result of he died in a resort room of a drug overdose, he won’t be held accountable for his actions, however this case shall be closed.”
Curran’s mother and father each died with out ever studying who killed their daughter.
Her brother and sister attended Tuesday’s information convention.
“My mother and father did not have social employees and specialised grievance counselors,” Curran’s brother, Tom Curran, mentioned. “They’d the confessional and the rosary beads…. We have been an old school, sturdy Catholic household.
“I do not assume a lot in regards to the man who did this as I do about Rita, my mother and father and what they went by means of. I pray to my mother and father and I pray to Rita.”
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