In 1986, the body of Roberta Walls was discovered in a field near a school, shocking the community. Police have now arrested a Connecticut man in connection with her killing.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Forty years after 22-year-old Roberta Walls was found raped and murdered in a field behind what was then Old Donation Elementary School, Virginia Beach police say they have solved the case through advances in DNA technology and genetic genealogy.
Police this week announced the arrest of 66-year-old Charles Randell Berry, who was detained in Connecticut and charged with capital murder and rape in connection with Walls’ death.
Investigators said Walls and Berry did not know each other before the night in May 1986 when Berry was killed.
“This case has never left the hearts of our detectives,” Virginia Beach Deputy Chief Jeffrey Wilkerson said at a news conference. “We are very confident we have found the right person.”
Walls’ body was found on May 15, 1986, in a field off Ferry Plantation Road in Virginia Beach. The killing shocked the community and remained unsolved for decades despite an extensive investigation.
Wilkerson said detectives interviewed and tested many people associated with Walls over the years, including friends and individuals in her inner circle, but all were excluded.
The breakthrough comes after investigators secured funding through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative 2023, commonly known as SAKI, which allows authorities to re-examine evidence using modern genetic genealogy techniques.
Police said a renewed investigation led detectives to Berry, who lives in Connecticut. Investigators later obtained a DNA sample through a search warrant, which police said directly matched evidence collected in the case decades ago.
Wilkerson praised detectives in the original investigation for carefully preserving evidence long before today’s technology.
“The tenacity and due diligence of detectives 40 years ago – not knowing what we can do today – they preserved all the evidence,” Wilkerson said. “They were meticulous in their recovery process.”
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said the arrest highlighted how evolving forensic technology can help solve long-standing cold cases and provide closure for victims’ families.
“For those families out there, I think it brings hope,” Neudigate said. “These detectives continue to work hard every day, and in the future we can hopefully bring them the closure and justice they deserve.”
Berry is currently being held in Connecticut on a multi-million dollar bond, awaiting extradition to Virginia Beach, according to police.
