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DNA Under Fingernails Cracks 10-Year-Old Murder Case
13 Apr
Summary
- An 86-year-old widow was murdered in her home and her killer escaped justice for over a decade.
- New forensic techniques found male DNA under the victim's fingernails, leading to the killer's identification.
- The murder case was reopened by a joint police unit, eventually leading to a life sentence for the killer.
An 86-year-old widow, Una Crown, was found deceased in her Wisbech home in January 2013. The initial police response failed to secure the scene as a crime scene, a mistake that allowed her killer to remain at large for over ten years.
The case was eventually taken up by the Major Crime Unit, a shared service between Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire police forces. Detectives reopened the investigation, piecing together evidence and uncovering new leads.
Breakthrough came with new forensic techniques that revealed male DNA beneath Crown's fingernails. This DNA was matched to her neighbor, David Newton, who had been living nearby for over a decade. Following extensive investigation to exclude other relatives, Newton was convicted.
In February of last year, David Newton was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Una Crown. The lead detective expressed pride in securing justice for the victim and her family, acknowledging that Crown's own struggle for life ultimately helped solve her case.
