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Forty-one years after the brutal slaying of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco, modern DNA science has delivered a long-awaited breakthrough, leading to the indictment of 63-year-old Richard Bilodeau. What began as a case lost to time is now moving through the justice system thanks to genetic evidence pulled from a discarded cup and straw, proving that cold cases can be solved when investigators refuse to give up.
Theresa vanished after leaving her part-time job at a Lynbrook roller rink in November 1984, and her naked body was later found in nearby woods, the victim of a savage attack that shocked Long Island. The aching memory of that night has haunted her family and her community for decades, and every patriotic American should grieve for the innocent lives ripped away by violent criminals.
This case is also a stark reminder of how justice can fail when the system cuts corners: three men were wrongly convicted, spent years behind bars, and were finally exonerated by DNA testing in 2003. Conservatives who stand for law and order must also stand against prosecutorial misconduct that wrecks lives; truth and accountability go hand in hand if we want a justice system worthy of our country.
Investigators say they developed leads in 2024, then recovered a cup and straw Bilodeau discarded at a smoothie shop, and the DNA match to evidence from Fusco’s body led to his arrest in October 2025. This is the kind of meticulous police work—paired with cutting-edge forensics—that honest Americans expect and deserve when pursuing justice for victims.
Bilodeau pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and faces charges that could carry 25 years to life if he’s convicted, a reminder that indictment is not conviction and every defendant must receive due process. Still, prosecutors and the community are right to demand answers and accountability for a crime that stole a child’s future, and hardworking families deserve closure after four decades of torment.
Let there be no confusion: advances in DNA technology are a victory for public safety, but they must be wielded responsibly and without trampling individual rights. We should applaud the detectives and forensic scientists who kept this case alive while also insisting that those who once railroaded innocents be held to account so such tragedies of justice never repeat.
Theresa’s father said he never lost hope, and his endurance is an example of the American spirit—steady, resolute, and unwilling to let evil go unchallenged. As a nation, we owe it to victims and their families to fund forensics, back principled law enforcement, and demand integrity from prosecutors so that justice, at last, can be done.
