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Homicide: Unsolved Cases of APD

Throughout history, the unlawful taking of a human life has ranked as the most serious of crimes. Within our legal system, the crime of murder has no statute of limitations, meaning that a killer may always be brought to justice regardless of how many years have passed since the crime was committed.Homicide investigators see the job of bringing these killers to justice as a solemn duty. They realize that justice is owed not only to the deceased victim, but to the family and friends left behind; those living victims who require closure of a case to begin the healing process. The safety of the community and the sanctity of human life also require that justice be served. In the words of ex-NYPD homicide detective and well-known instructor Vernon Geberth, "We work for God."A homicide case is considered closed when a suspect has been identified, charged, and arrested. In the case files of the Austin Police Department's Homicide Unit 127 cases are still waiting for closure. These "cold cases," some dating back to the 1960's, lack the critical information or evidence needed to identify or charge a suspect. In an additional 35 cases, a suspect has been identified and charged, but not located for arrest. Declining rates of violent crime in Austin have lowered the Homicide Unit's caseload, providing an opportunity to reassign personnel to cold cases. The Cold Case Homicide Unit is assigned five detectives and a sergeant to work full time on cold cases. Now is an opportune time to reexamine cold cases for several reasons:

• Advances in forensic analysis of evidence, such as DNA, may yield new clues or establish links to suspects that were not possible in the past.
• Over time, alliances between suspects and witnesses may have diminished, removing the reluctance of those with knowledge of the crime to cooperate with investigators.
• The killers themselves may have lowered their guard over time, leading them to confide information to others or come out of hiding.

Investigators know that most homicide cases are closed within the first 24-48 hours. In fact, APD's Homicide Unit has maintained a very high closure rate (100 percent in 1999). However, when this critical window of opportunity slides shut and no lead has developed, investigators must often rely on the public coming forward with information that will reestablish a direction in a case. This is why the Austin Police Department is providing information on cold cases to the public. Investigators hope that someone reading about these cases will recognize and come forward with that critical information. Criminologists estimate that in 84 percent of cold cases, the killer's name is already written down somewhere in the case file within the first 30 days. New information may draw a line to that name. If you have information pertaining to any of these cases, please contact the APD Homicide Unit's Tip Line at (512) 477-3588, or by e-mail at Homicide@ci.austin.tx.us.