A New York cold case that's haunted a community for more than four decades may finally be closed. Prosecutors say DNA evidence from a discarded smoothie cup has led to the arrest of 63-year-old Richard Bilodeau in the 1984 killing of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco. The Nassau County District Attorney's Office announced the arrest on Wednesday, saying Bilodeau has been charged with second-degree murder as well as second-degree murder during the commission or attempted commission of first-degree rape. He has pleaded not guilty.
Fusco vanished in November 1984 after being fired from her job at a roller rink snack bar, reports ABC News. Her body was later found buried under leaves and shipping pallets. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. The case shook locals, especially after two more teens disappeared from the area, which was dubbed the "Lynbrook Triangle." Three men were originally convicted of Fusco's murder, but DNA analysis cleared them in 2003 and their convictions were overturned (two of them received $18 million each).
Investigators said they started watching Bilodeau last year and collected the crucial evidence in February 2024. They did not detail how he became a person of interest beyond saying they had developed "multiple investigative leads," per the AP. Authorities allege he was living just a mile from the Lynbrook roller rink at the time of Fusco's disappearance. The New York Times quotes prosecutor Jared Rosenblatt as saying that when Bilodeau was asked why his DNA matched the DNA on Fusco's body, he replied, "People got away with murder back then." Quipped Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, "Well, I'll tell you something, Mr. Bilodeau, I've got you now."
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"I loved her and I miss her. She lives in my heart, as you can see," father Thomas Fusco said as he pulled a photo of Theresa from his jacket pocket during a news conference Wednesday. "I never gave up hope. I've always had faith in the system."
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