Cold Case Resolved After 39 Years

A former employee of Walmart was charged on Wednesday with the horrific murder and rape of a 16-year-old girl on Long Island in 1984, bringing an end to years of uncertainty, according to Nassau County prosecutors.

Richard Bilodeau, aged 63, faces charges related to the unsolved murder of Teresa Fusco, which occurred on November 10, 1984. This breakthrough came about due to advanced DNA testing carried out by the FBI.

“The DNA was collected from a vaginal swab,” Nassau County Assistant District Attorney Jared Rosenblatt stated in court. “The defendant was working the night shift at Walmart in Suffolk County.”

During cross-examination, Rosenblatt indicated that Bilodeau denied any familiarity with Fusco, even when presented with her photos. “When asked about the timing of the crime, he said, ‘Yes, back then people would commit murder and get away with it,’” the attorney noted to Judge Helen Gugerty.

Fusco, who dreamed of being a dancer, vanished after leaving her job at Hot Skate, a local skating rink in Lynbrook, on that fateful day in 1984. Her body was discovered, lifeless and unclothed, on December 5.

Authorities reported that this cheerful teenager had been raped, beaten, and strangled before her body was abandoned in the woods.

The shocking crime caused turmoil in the once-peaceful suburban neighborhood, lasting for months until three local men—John Restivo, Dennis Halstead, and John Kogut—were convicted in 1986 for a different, similarly tragic murder involving a teenage boy.

However, subsequent DNA testing demonstrated that all three men had been wrongfully convicted and had served nearly 18 years in prison. They were exonerated in 2003 and later received $43 million in damages for the wrongful prosecution, though this decision was upheld after an appeal.

Defense attorney Daniel Russo asserted that his client was not responsible for the severe crime.

The charges against Bilodeau have brought a sense of relief to Fusco’s family.

In court on Wednesday, her father, Thomas Fusco, embraced a family member and quietly said, “Now go home and enjoy the rest of your life. Enjoy your daughter.”

Bilodeau has been ordered to remain in custody without bail until his next court appearance on November 21.