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DNA Evidence Helps Put to Rest a 20 Year Old Murder Case

DNA Final Factor in 20 Year Old Multiple Murder Cases

 

Technology and Science is ever changing. It’s so amazing and a thing of awe what science can do today. Thanks to DNA evidence an arrest has been made against a man who is involved for the killings of two young women twenty years ago. The two women who vanished, ten months apart on bike rides. They were riding near Phoenix’s Canal System.

 

Police were able to arrest forty-two year old, Bryan Patrick Miller on late Tuesday. They got him for the stabbing deaths of two girls, twenty-two year old Angela Brosso and seventeen year old Melanie Bernas.

 

According to the report, Angela was killed in November of 1992. Melanie was killed almost a year later in September 1993. Both of the young women had disappeared while biking near the Arizona Canal. Angela’s body was found decapitated, near an apartment complex. Melanie’s body was found 1.5 miles away just floating in the water.

 

Police Use DNA Evidence to Solve 20 Year Old Case

 

Police said that they were able to use forensic evidence connecting the killings within years. However, the investigators weren’t able to identify a suspect back then. Luckily, some DNA evidence was recently collected by some undercover officers and were able to link Miller to the killings.

 

Sgt. Trent Crump’s Statement:

Within literally hours we had a hit from those two murders, scientifically linking him by DNA, linking him to those two murders over 20 years ago.

 

 

Officers were able to search Miller’s rental home overnight. They expected to be continuing the search for several days due to the home being full of unspecified material. It’s unclear of what though.

 

Miller was being held without bond for: two counts of first degree murder and kidnapping as well as one count of sexual assault. Miller did not have a lawyer when he appeared in court on Wednesday. However, during the police interview, he denied having any involvement in the killings.

 

Police Statement in Court Document:

The defendant could not explain how the DNA profile obtained from the defendant was a match to the DNA profiles obtained from the victims.

 

Even though Miller denied any involvement, he did admit to living in the area of the killings at the time. He even admitted to also riding his bike on the bike paths.

 

Police have stated in the past that these killings were like the killer specialized in military training and he also collected trophies from the victims. Either bike from the killings were never found. However during the search, police did find a bike in Miller’s shed. It’s unclear if it’s one of the victims bikes though.

 

Source:https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/south-phoenix/angela-brosso-melanie-bernas-update-bryan-patrick-miller-denies-involvement-in-death-of-girls

 

 

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