Police in Colorado said they believe they have solved a nearly 50-year-old cold case involving a babysitter who was brutally murdered, Fox 21 reports.
On Wednesday, the Colorado Springs Police Department announced it had found the person likely responsible for the death of 14-year-old Maria Honzell, who was found deceased with stab wounds on February 7, 1977.
Police were called around 11:21 p.m. that day to an apartment complex in Colorado Springs for an initial report of a possible suicide. But when officers arrived, they found Honzell lying on the floor with various stab wounds inflicted on her neck and chest, and her death was later ruled a homicide.
Honzell was babysitting for a neighbor when she died. The neighbor had reached out to Honzell earlier that night and was told everyone was okay, but when the mother arrived home, she found Honzell dead in a bedroom.
The neighbor’s two kids were not harmed physically.
Investigators struggled to identify a suspect for decades until innovations in DNA technology allowed for improved analysis of blood found on Honzell’s clothing. In 2019, authorities compared DNA found from the blood to records in commercial genealogy databases.
That search led police to focus on William Charles Kernan, Jr., who was a college student at the time Honzell was murdered and knew her. Police said Kernan had been to the apartment complex previously.
Kernan died in 2010, however, they believe he was responsible for Honzell’s murder. His DNA could not be analyzed because he was cremated and police could not identify any living relatives.
“The family and friends of Maria Honzell have waited over 47 years to get justice for Maria,” police wrote in a press release. “Through years of analysis and investigation, CSPD is proud to provide answers to Maria’s loved ones finally.”
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[Feature Photo: Maria Honzell/Colorado Springs Police Department]
