The 1975 murder of a Maryland woman was finally resolved with the help of an old cassette tape and a mug shot of the victim. It was announced on Tuesday.
The cold case of Roseann Sturtz, strangled after meeting the assailant at a bar on August 24, 1975, was a mystery for decades until Howard County police revived the investigation late last year and revealed evidence that the convicted murderer in prison had already committed a crime.
The detective discovered an audio tape from 1981. The tape asked Charles William Davis Jr., who was later imprisoned at the Jessup Correctional Institute, about the murder in exchange for not facing charges in the case.
At the time, Davis couldn't identify the Starz, who lived in Baltimore and went to Anne's side after being shown a photo of her taking a photo several years before the murder, police said.
But Howard County Police Cpl. Wades Fall then took Davis from the same prison to police headquarters last year, and interviewed him again 44 years later.
He showed Davis a more recent photo of Starts from the month before she was killed – she was in a mug shot – she was in a mug shot.
This time he identified her as one of his victims and admitted to the murder.
Released footage The interview shows Sturtz nodded his head after seeing the photo.
“In November 2024, we had details of all the cases, learned about Roseann's actual death date and thanked us for receiving the closure we have been praying for in recent years.
Davis told police after meeting Starts at the bar, the pair got caught up in a debate before the murder, Zulu said.
Davis landed on the authorities' radar in 1981 after police studied Davis' confirmed victims and compared them to Starts, Zur said. Press conference.
Davis cannot be charged with murder, but is already in life prison for other murders.
“The main reason he wanted to tell me… he probably wanted to give his family a closure,” Zulu said.
