More than 20 years after a horrifying attack on a New Westminster senior, police have used DNA evidence to finally secure charges against a suspect.
The 79-year-old victim, Dorothy Darnel, was sleeping when someone broke into her home in the early morning hours of Oct. 4, 1996 and starting savagely beating her.
The attack was so severe Darnel's cheekbone was shattered, and she was left blind in one eye. After she was knocked unconscious, she was also sexually assaulted.
Police pursued the case for decades, and on Monday announced a slew of charges have been approved against a Vancouver man.
"It means a great deal to me to see this 20-year-old case has come to a close," Chief Const. Dave Jones, one of the officers originally assigned to the case, said in a statement.
The victim has since died, but police praised her for turning the terrible experience into something positive.
"Mrs. Darnel was a strong woman who shared this experience with other seniors and empowered them to take steps to protect their own safety,” Jones said.
Police followed up on hundreds of tips relating to the case, but it wasn't until March of last year, when DNA evidence emerged linking a suspect in the case to a recent break-in in Coquitlam, that they were able to move toward bringing it to court.
The accused, 48-year-old James Gray, is charged with aggravated sexual assault, break and enter, forcible confinement, robbery, choking to overcome resistance, and uttering threats.
Police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Scott thanks the "tenacious and persistent" work of law enforcement in both New Westminster and Coquitlam for helping finally bring the victim's family closer to closure.
"Their relentless pursuit of justice will now allow the Darnel family to close a very painful, yet important chapter in their family history," Scott said.
