Man arrested nearly 40 years after the murder of 22-year-old Roberta Walls in Virginia Beach
Berry was arrested on 19 May by Newington Police in coordination with the Virginia Beach Police Department
Almost four decades after a 22-year-old woman was murdered in Virginia Beach, her suspected killer has finally been taken into custody.
The arrest
On Tuesday, the Newington Police Department announced that Charles Berry, 66, of Newington, Connecticut, had been arrested on charges of being a fugitive from justice.
The arrest was made in coordination with the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD), which holds an arrest warrant related to a 1986 homicide in Virginia Beach.
Berry was processed at the Newington Police Department before being transported to New Britain Superior Court. A grand jury has indicted Berry in connection with the murder of Roberta Walls, and his bail has been set at $2 million in Connecticut, according to FOX 61. His extradition to Virginia awaits approval from Connecticut's district court, per The Virginian-Pilot.
The 1986 murder
On Wednesday, 15 May 1986, at 6:30 a.m., Walls' body was discovered in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School on the 1000 block of Ferry Plantation Drive in Virginia Beach, according to the VBPD's website.
She was found with "obvious signs of trauma due to a violent assault." Walls had suffered multiple stab wounds and had been raped, according to WAVY-TV, 13News Now, and The Virginian-Pilot.
Walls had last been seen alive the previous evening at the Bayside Public Library, located directly across the street from where her body was found. She worked at the library and had been on her way to meet friends, WAVY-TV reported.
The DNA breakthrough
The case lay unsolved for more than three decades until 2017, when detectives used DNA samples preserved from Walls' body and the surrounding area to create a facial composite image of a person of interest.
The analysis helped investigators narrow their focus and ruled out several individuals previously considered suspects, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
The Virginia Beach Police Department is scheduled to hold a press conference on the arrest and investigation on Wednesday.
