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Virginia Beach Police Arrest Man in 1986 Rape and Murder Case
Police in Virginia Beach, Virginia, arrested a 66-year-old man after DNA evidence linked him to the 1986 rape and murder of 22-year-old Roberta Walls. The arrest followed forensic genealogy work funded by a 2023 grant.
May 25, 10:40 AM·1m read1 source
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Virginia Beach police arrested Charles Berry, 66, of Newington, Connecticut, on Monday in connection with the 1986 rape and murder of Roberta Walls. Walls' body was found on May 15, 1986, in a field behind an elementary school. Police said she had been raped and killed.
A male DNA profile was developed in 2001 and entered into a national databank, but no match was found at the time. Investigators compared the profile to the DNA of more than 30 men during the case, and all were eliminated. In 2023, the department received grant funding that allowed investigators to pursue forensic genealogy leads.
Police identified a possible suspect with ties to the area at the time of the murder and confirmed the match through a direct DNA comparison.
U.S. Navy and stationed in the Virginia Beach area in 1986. Investigators stated he did not know Walls before the crime and had not previously been identified as a person of interest. Berry is charged with rape and capital murder in the commission of a rape.
He remains in custody in Connecticut. Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said at a Wednesday news conference that the case shows the department will continue to pursue cold cases regardless of the time that has passed.
