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Man Arrested in 1989 Murder Cold Case

Man Arrested in 1989 Dallas Strangulation Murder Cold Case
Dallas police unit at night with lights activated | Image by NBC DFW

A man has been arrested in connection with a 33-year-old cold murder case, the Dallas Police Department announced on Sunday.

David Rojas, 53, is facing a capital murder charge after investigators matched him to DNA samples taken from the body of a woman who was murdered in 1989.

Mary Hague Kelly, 78, was found dead inside her home in the 400 block of North Frances Street in west Oak Cliff after officers responded to the report of a deceased person on January 19, 1989. A medical examination showed that she died from strangulation.

Police say Kelly’s belongings and vehicle were missing when she was found. However, her residence showed no signs of forced entry.

DNA samples were taken from Kelly at the time of her death, but the investigation went cold. On June 28 this year, DNA testing showed that the sample from Kelly appeared to match the DNA of Rojas, who would have been around 20 years old at the time of the attack.

Rojas was arrested on July 22 and taken to the Dallas County jail, where his bail was set at $750,000.

Rojas’ lawyer did not immediately respond to media’s requests for comment.

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