What to Know
- A 64-year-old man was indicted on murder charges in connection to a nearly 30-year cold case involving the deaths of a mother and daughter in their New York City apartment, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday.
- Larry Atkinson was indicted for for strangling 57-year-old Sarah Roberts, who suffered from emphysema, and her 26-year-old daughter Sharon, who had a disability, in their Morningside Heights apartment in February 1994, Bragg said.
- Subsequently, the medical examiner determined that both women were killed by ligature strangulation.
A 64-year-old man was indicted on murder charges in connection to a nearly 30-year cold case involving the deaths of a mother and daughter in their New York City apartment, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday.
Larry Atkinson was indicted for for strangling 57-year-old Sarah Roberts, who suffered from emphysema, and her 26-year-old daughter Sharon, who had a disability, in their Morningside Heights apartment in February 1994, Bragg said, adding that the indictment came after DNA testing performed last year lead to Atkinson's arrest last month.
According to Bragg, citing court documents and statements made, on the evening of Feb. 20, 1994, a home attendant, who was dating Atkinson at the time, entered the Roberts’ apartment which was located in NYCHA’s Grant Houses and discovered both women dead.
Sharon was allegedly found with the tube from her mother’s oxygen tank and a pair of leggings tied around her neck.
Subsequently, the medical examiner determined that both women were killed by ligature strangulation.
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However, last year, using technology unavailable at the time of the women’s deaths, the medical examiner's office conducted additional testing on samples collected in 1994, which eventually lead to Atkinson’s arrest.
News
“As science advances, so does our ability to solve cold cases,” Bragg said in a statement Thursday. “Here, new technology led to an indictment alleging the horrific murders of a mother and daughter dating back nearly 30 years. Alongside our partners at OCME and the NYPD, we remain steadfast in pursuing justice for New Yorkers, no matter how long it takes.”
Atkinson is facing two counts on murder in the second degree. Attorney information was not immediately known.
