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DNA cracks 40-year cold case mystery with arrest in library worker’s savage slaying: police
By Julia Bonavita
Published May 20, 2026
Nearly four decades to the exact date a 22-year-old Virginia woman was murdered, authorities have announced an arrest in the cold case.
Charles Berry, 66, of Newington, Connecticut, was taken into custody Monday in connection with the 1986 rape and murder of Roberta Walls, the Newington Police Department said in a statement.
The arrest was made in coordination with the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD), which issued an arrest warrant for charges related to the Virginia Beach homicide, police said.
The case began on May 15, 1986, when Walls’ body was discovered in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School, according to VBPD.
Roberta Walls was murdered in Virginia Beach, Va., on May 15, 1986, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department. (Virginia Beach Police Department)
Authorities previously said 22-year-old Walls was found "with obvious signs of trauma due to a violent assault."
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She suffered multiple stab wounds and had been raped during the attack, WAVY-TV reported.
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Charles Berry, 66, of Newington, Connecticut, was taken into custody Monday in connection with the 1986 rape and murder of Roberta Walls, the Newington Police Department said in a statement. (Newington Police Department)
Police previously revealed she was last seen alive at the Bayside Public Library the night before her murder, which is located across the street from where her body was discovered.
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Roberta Walls' body was discovered in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department. (Google Maps)
Walls reportedly was an employee at the library and was leaving work to meet with friends when she disappeared.
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In 2017, authorities received funding to use DNA samples preserved from Walls’ body to compile a composite image of a person of interest, the outlet reported.
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Following his arrest, Berry was transported to the New Britain Superior Court in Connecticut on Tuesday as he awaits extradition, according to authorities.
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He was subsequently indicted by a grand jury "in connection to Robert Walls’ [murder]," FOX 61 reported. His bail has been set at $2 million by the Connecticut court.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Virginia Beach Police Department for comment.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/dna-cracks-40-year-cold-case-mystery-arrest-library-workers-savage-slaying-police