DNA Leads To Arrest In 1986 Rape And Murder Of Virginia Woman
Newington, Connecticut, police arrested 66-year-old Charles Berry on Monday, May 18, 2026, on a Virginia Beach warrant accusing him in the 1986 rape and murder of Roberta Walls.[1]
He has been indicted by a grand jury and is being held on $2 million bail in Connecticut while authorities arrange extradition to Virginia Beach.[1]
Walls, 22, was last seen leaving her job at the Bayside Public Library on May 14, 1986; her body was found the next day behind Old Donation Elementary School.[1]
Authorities said Walls suffered multiple stab wounds and there was evidence she had been raped. In 2017, investigators used DNA from Walls' body to create a composite image of a person of interest, and that genetic work ultimately pointed to Berry, officials said.[1]
Police called the arrest a break in a 40-year cold case that had frustrated investigators and community members.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, May 18, 2026, Newington, Connecticut, police arrested Charles Berry, 66, on a Virginia Beach warrant in the 1986 rape and murder of Roberta Walls.
- Walls, a 22-year-old Bayside Public Library employee, was last seen leaving work on May 14, 1986, and her body was found May 15, 1986, behind Old Donation Elementary School with multiple stab wounds and evidence of rape.
- In 2017, authorities used DNA samples from Walls' body to generate a composite image of a person of interest, and Berry has now been indicted by a grand jury and held on $2 million bail in Connecticut while awaiting extradition.
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