Delaware breaks 2006 murder cold case
PENNY HILL, Del. - April 3, 2008 It was February 2006 when police found the body of a 29-year-old man in a Days Inn on Concord Pike in Wilmington.
Now some high tech systems and some old fashion evidence gathering has led to a suspect. <12>
delaware correspondent lauren wilson is live at the state police in pennyhill.
Lauren, what's the story here.
When Delaware State Police showed off their new forensic evidence lab back in January, they had no idea the database system would lead them to a murder suspect.
"It's CSI, right here in Delaware," Jeffrey Whitmarsh of the Delaware State Police said.
Delaware state police were able to link 31-year-old Jamar Harper to a murder that happened in room 241 at the Days Inn Motel in Wilmington in February 2006. 29-year-old Jamace Green was found shot to death at the motel.
A shell casing was discovered at the crime scene when the shooting occurred, as well as, a beer bottle with Harper's DNA on it. This was evidence that sat idle for two years until Delaware's forensic investigators discovered Harper's DNA had been fed into a national database for another crime in Pennsylvania.
"This microscopic evidence is what broke this case for us and also the persistence of the officers," Whitmarsh said.
Jamace Green's mother, Barbara, was also persistent and called Delaware investigators every single week.
"It's amazing because they just came out with this and already they've solved their first crime and thank God it was my son's. I'm happy about that," Barbara Green said.
As if her grief weren't enough, Barbara Green is battling breast cancer now; still she says it was the unsolved murder that sickened her the most, and, ironically, willed her to live.
"I was determined that if it was the last thing I did before I left this earth, I was going to know what happened, so I'm satisfied," Barbara said.
Barbara Green now knows the man accused of killing her son was one of his friends. She and Delaware State Police must now prepare for a murder trial.