A Connecticut man was arrested last weekend in connection with the 1986 rape and murder of a 22-year-old Virginia Beach woman, cracking a cold case that had gone unsolved for four decades.
Despite years of effort, the case eventually passed to the VBPD's Cold Case Unit. The investigation gained new momentum in 2001, when detectives developed a DNA profile through the Virginia Department of Forensic Science and entered it into the national DNA databank. In 2017, investigators sent DNA from the original crime scene to a Northern Virginia lab, where analysts created a composite photo of the suspect.
The breakthrough came through the Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, or SAKI, funded by the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. Forensic testing linked Berry's DNA to biological evidence collected at the crime scene in 1986.
"The evidence had not been tested since 1986, and a direct DNA comparison ultimately identified Charles Berry as the source of the DNA profile generated in 2001," said Capt. Michele Wyatt of the VBPD Detective Bureau, in the press release from Virginia Beach police. "While it was an egregious event, there is joy in finally finding an answer."
Attorney General Jay Jones credited the SAKI program with making the arrest possible. "The Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has helped bring closure to a decades-long investigation, proving to be a crucial tool in the fight for justice," Jones said. "My office will continue to provide every resource available to law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth and work to support sexual assault victims, always."
VBPD Deputy Chief Jeffrey Wilkerson called the arrest a testament to the department's long-standing commitment to Walls' memory. "The legacy of this investigation, the tenacity of 40 years in the making and the years proceeding, is an example of Virginia Beach Police Department's dedication to Roberta Walls' memory and to all victims of crime," Wilkerson said.
Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the department intends to keep fighting for other unsolved homicide families. "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."
Berry is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Once extradition is complete, he will be transferred to the Virginia Beach City Jail.