On the night of May 14th, 1986, 22-year-old Roberta “Bobbie” Walls left her shift at the Bayside Public Library in Virginia Beach to meet friends. She never arrived. The next morning, her body was found in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School, less than a hundred yards from the library. She had been stabbed and sexually assaulted. Investigators tested more than thirty men from her own circle of friends and past relationships — all were eliminated. A DNA profile developed in 2001 matched no one in any database. A 2017 facial composite, built from DNA phenotyping, still didn’t produce a name. Then in 2023, Virginia Beach received funding through the state’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative for forensic genetic genealogy — and the DNA led investigators not to someone Roberta knew, but to a stranger: a former Navy serviceman who had been stationed in Virginia Beach at the time of her murder. On May 18th, 2026, nearly forty years after Roberta’s death, Charles Randell Berry was arrested in Newington, Connecticut, where he served as Treasurer of the Connecticut American Legion. He has been charged with capital murder and rape. As of this video, he has not yet stood trial.
Arrest made in 1986 rape and killing of Roberta Walls in Virginia Beach
WAVY’s coverage of the May 2026 arrest, including background on the original 1986 investigation, the 2001 DNA profile, and the 2017 facial composite generated through DNA phenotyping.
Source: https://www.wavy.com/news/local-news/virginia-beach/arrest-made-in-1986-rape-and-killing-of-roberta-walls-in-virginia-beach/
40 years after woman murdered in Virginia, DNA leads to arrest in Connecticut
CBS News’ report on the arrest of Charles Berry, detailing the 2001 DNA profile, the 2017 composite, and the department’s characterization of Roberta as “a vibrant young woman” with “a promising future ahead of her.”
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roberta-walls-virginia-beach-murder-arrest-dna/
Roberta Walls Murder Solved After 40 Years: DNA Leads to Arrest
Coverage of the Virginia Beach Police Department’s press conference, including statements from Chief Paul Neudigate, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Wilkerson, and Captain Michele Wyatt on the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and the DNA match to Berry.
Source: https://www.frontpagedetectives.com/p/roberta-walls-murder-solved-after-40-years-dna-leads-to-arrest
#coldcase #truecrime #solved
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