A North Carolina man was arrested for the killing of Angela Gay whose body was discovered partially undressed behind a community center 15 years ago. Police investigated the case after discovering the body, but were not able to solve the case. During the original investigation, DNA of another person was discovered on Gay's body but could not be matched to a potential suspect.
DNA analysis has improved significantly during the last 15 years. Albert C. Taylor of North Carolina has been arrested and is accused of first-degree murder. His arrest is the direct result of the re-analysis of the DNA found on Gay's body resulting from a recent $200,000 federal grant to solve cold cases using DNA analysis.
Taylor's DNA was found to be a match to the DNA discovered on Gay's body after the re-analysis. Subsequent investigations revealed that Taylor lived near Gay at the time of her death. When Taylor was arrested he said he had never met Gay but had seen her picture in the paper after her body was discovered. "DNA will free those who are innocent, but it will convict those who are guilty," Gay's mother Beverly Gay said.
Beverly Gay says it has been a long wait to see someone arrested for killing her daughter. She said she never gave up hope and always expected that the person responsible for her daughter's death would be found. While Beverly Gay wants the person who killed her daughter to be convicted of First-Degree Murder, she does not want to see the person executed. "I'm very happy he's been caught," she said. "I want him to live the rest of his life in jail because I don't believe in the death penalty because he has a parent, just like I'm a parent."
Criminal attorney John Musca says that new techniques in DNA analysis have led to arrests in cases years after the original crime. "Cases involving re-analysis of DNA may involve a lot of scientific testimony but an experienced criminal defense attorney can help in ensuring such DNA evidence is properly challenged to ensure it is reliable and valid," said Musca.