Authorities in Maryland have sentenced a man to life in prison for a 1979 murder that remained unsolved for decades, the state's Charles County Prosecutor's Office announced Friday.
The judge sentenced Andre Taylor, 63, to life in prison for the murder of Vicki Lynn Berg, who was found naked from the waist down and shot in the right side of the head in a wooded area in Prince George's County 45 years ago. announcement.
According to the release, Berg's boyfriend called Prince George's County police on Aug. 28, 1979, to report her missing after she did not return to their apartment. (Related article: Report: Man allegedly confesses to “brutal, cold-blooded murder” committed 44 years ago)
Washington DC man sentenced to life in prison after DNA test links him to unsolved 1979 murderhttps://t.co/kA9RlQOlfr
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Prosecutors said Berg had last been seen the previous day in Washington, D.C., where she and her boyfriend work.
According to the DA's office, there were no leads in the case, so it remained cold until Detective Sergeant John Elliott of the Charles County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) reopened the investigation using new forensic techniques.
In 2022, CCSO's forensic science division used new technology to analyze Berg's clothing and found a DNA match implicating Taylor in the murder, according to the release.
Taylor's address had not been available since 2019, but authorities tracked him down in Washington, DC, where he admitted to raping Berg but denied killing her.
Prosecutors said there is no evidence that Berg, who was 28 at the time of the crime, knew the 18-year-old Taylor.
During the sentencing, Assistant State's Attorney John Stackhouse told the court the case “has dragged on for 45 years and has caused intergenerational trauma.” [Belk’s] A son grew up without a mother. Parents had to bury a daughter. Parents lay on their death beds not knowing who killed them. Grandchildren never had a chance to meet their grandmother.”
Before sentencing Taylor to life imprisonment, Judge West said: “[The incident was] This crime is so heinous that we cannot consider any lesser punishment appropriate.”
