New Evidence in 1975 Case Leads Pennsylvania Police To Arrest Suspect 47 Years After Murder

FOX43 News

Back in 1975, when a 19 year old girl named Lindy Sue Biechler was killed in her own home. Her aunt and uncle were the ones who made the horrific discovery. They found her lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of her neck. There was blood on the door, carpet and wall. 

An investigation later determined the Biechler had been stabbed a total of 19 times. The investigation also found semen in Biechler’s underpants, but they were unable to find a match. Multiple people were determined not to be the killer. Years went by and the murder investigation eventually became the oldest cold case in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Decades later, new technology has resulted in an arrest of a man that very well may be the killer. Genetic genealogy researcher Cece Moore and her company, Parabon NanoLabs, was able to use DNA from the crime scene to determine that the killer was likely of southern Italian ancestry, specifically with ancestors from the town of Gasperina. Then Moore looked at old records to determine a person of interest, a 68 year old man named David Sinopoli who lived in the same apartment complex as Biechler at the time of the murder.

Moore turned her discovery over to authorities in Lancaster County. They had never considered Sinopoli before in the investigation.

After months of surveillance, authorities grabbed a coffee cup that Sinopoli dropped in an airport trash can. They used his DNA from the coffee cup to see if he was a match to the DNA at the crime scene. It did in fact match.

Authorities have arresting Sinopoli and charged him with homicide. He is currently at Lancaster County Prison where he is being held without bail.

At a press conference, Lancaster County District Attorney Heather Adams that without the genetic genealogy research the case would probably remain a cold case forever. She said, “This case was solved with the use of DNA and specifically DNA genealogy, and quite honestly, without that I don’t think that we ever would have solved it.” She added, “The arrest of David Sinopoli marks the beginning of the court process, and we hope that it brings some sense of relief to the victim’s loved ones and to the community who for the past 46 years have had no answers.”

VIDEO: Here’s what led investigators to charge David Sinopoli with killing Lindy Sue Biechler in 1975

Do you think DNA genealogy will be used to solve more cold cases?