2026年5月21日 / 美国东部时间上午10:39 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻（CBS News）
作者：克里·布林 新闻编辑
克里·布林是CBSNews.com的新闻编辑。她毕业于纽约大学亚瑟·L·卡特新闻学院，此前曾在NBC新闻的《今日数字》供职。她负责报道时事、突发新闻以及包括物质滥用在内的相关议题。
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警方周三表示，一名康涅狄格州男子因一桩数十年前的强奸杀人案被捕，该案的法医证据为这起冷案提供了新线索，受害者是弗吉尼亚州一名女性。
弗吉尼亚海滩警察局在一份新闻稿中表示，1986年5月15日上午，人们在弗吉尼亚海滩的一片田野中发现了22岁的罗伯塔·沃尔斯的遗体。警方将她描述为“一位充满活力的年轻女性”，“前途光明”。
沃尔斯曾遭性侵，身上有多处刀伤。警方表示，当时警方对这起谋杀案展开了调查，但没有任何线索。最终，该案被移交至该局冷案调查组。
警方称，2001年，技术人员生成了一份DNA档案，并将其提交给弗吉尼亚州法医科学部进行比对。该档案信息也被录入了全国数据库。据哥伦比亚广播公司旗下电视台WTKR报道，调查人员确定该DNA档案属于一名男性，但未找到匹配对象。
2017年，弗吉尼亚北部的一家实验室对该DNA进行了分析，并为杀害沃尔斯的凶手生成了一张合成照片，但这些进展仍未促成任何逮捕行动。
据WTKR报道，弗吉尼亚海滩警察局在2023年获得了拨款，使得调查人员能够通过法医族谱追查线索。
弗吉尼亚海滩警察局侦探局局长米歇尔·怀亚特在新闻稿中表示，通过直接DNA比对，警方确认了现年66岁的查尔斯·贝里的身份，他目前居住在康涅狄格州纽因顿。怀亚特说，贝里被证实为该案犯罪现场DNA档案的提供者。
“（沃尔斯的遇害）是一起令人发指的事件，终于找到真相让人感到欣慰，”怀亚特说道。
据WTKR报道，贝里案发时据信在美国海军服役。调查人员获取了一份贝里的DNA搜查令，并将其与犯罪现场的DNA档案进行了比对。
贝里于周一在康涅狄格州纽因顿被捕。纽因顿警察局在一份新闻稿中表示，警方以“逃犯”罪名指控他。弗吉尼亚海滩警察局称，贝里目前被关押，保释金为1000万美元，正等待被引渡至弗吉尼亚州。警方未透露他将在弗吉尼亚面临何种指控。
据WTKR报道，弗吉尼亚海滩警察局副局长杰弗里·威尔克森表示，调查人员“极度确信我们抓对了人”。
弗吉尼亚海滩警察局局长保罗·纽迪盖特表示，他希望这一进展能激励其他等待真相的家属。
“我们社区里还有一些家庭和亲人尚未获得应有的了结和正义，”纽迪盖特说道。“对于这些家庭来说，未来仍有希望，我们想让他们知道，我们的团队不会放弃他们。”
40 years after woman murdered in Virginia, DNA leads to arrest in Connecticut
May 21, 2026 / 10:39 AM EDT / CBS News
By Kerry Breen News Editor
Kerry Breen is a news editor at CBSNews.com. A graduate of New York University’s Arthur L. Carter School of Journalism, she previously worked at NBC News’ TODAY Digital. She covers current events, breaking news and issues including substance use.
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A Connecticut man was arrested for the decades-old rape and murder of a Virginia woman after forensic evidence offered new leads in the cold case, police said Wednesday.
The body of 22-year-old Roberta Walls was found in a field in Virginia Beach on the morning of May 15, 1986, the Virginia Beach Police Department said in a news release. The department described her as “a vibrant young woman” who “had a promising future ahead of her.”
Walls had been sexually assaulted and stabbed multiple times. Police investigated the killing, but had no leads, according to the department. Eventually, it was assigned to the department’s Cold Case Unit.
In 2001, a DNA profile was developed and run through the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, police said. The profile information was also entered in a nationwide databank. Investigators determined the DNA profile belonged to a man, but no matches were found, according to CBS affiliate WTKR.
In 2017, a lab in northern Virginia analyzed the DNA and created a composite photo of Walls’ killer, police said, but these developments again did not lead to any arrests.
Roberta Walls. Virginia Beach Police Department
The Virginia Beach Police Department received grant funding in 2023 that allowed investigators to pursue forensic genealogy leads, according to WTKR.
VBPD Detective Bureau Captain Michele Wyatt said in the news release that a direct DNA comparison led to the identification of Charles Berry, a 66-year-old man living in Newington, Connecticut. Berry was confirmed to be the source of the DNA profile, Wyatt said.
“While (Walls’ killing) was an egregious event, there is joy in finally finding an answer,” Wyatt said.
WKTR reported that Berry was believed to be in the U.S. Navy at the time of the murder. Investigators obtained a warrant for his DNA, which they compared to the profile from the crime scene, WTKR said.
Berry was arrested on Monday in Newington, Connecticut. Police charged him with being a fugitive from justice, the Newington Police Department said in a news release. He is being held on a $10 million bond and is awaiting extradition to Virginia, the Virginia Beach Police Department said. Police did not say what charges he will face in Virginia.
Virginia Beach Police Department Deputy Chief Jeffrey Wilkerson said investigators are “extremely confident we have the right person,” WKTR reported.
Virginia Beach Police Department Police Chief Paul Neudigate said he hopes the developments inspire other families waiting for answers.
“There are families and loved ones in this community that have not yet received the closure and the justice that they deserve,” Neudigate said. “For those families, there is hope for the future, and we want families to know our team is not giving up on them.”
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