Investigators Solve 1975 Cold Case With DNA From Coffee Cup Collected At Philadelphia International Airport
MANOR TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) -- Lancaster County police arrested 68-year-old David Sinopoli for the alleged 1975 murder of a 19-year-old woman on Sunday morning. The suspect had been identified through a DNA sample obtained from a coffee cup at the Philadelphia International Airport, officials say.
The victim, 19-year-old victim Lindy Sue Biechler, of Manor Township, was stabbed multiple times at her Kloss Drive home after returning from the grocery store in the early evening hours of December 5, 1975. Investigators observed blood on the outside of the front door as well as the wall on the entranceway and several patches of blood on the carpet of Beichler's home.
In 1997, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office submitted evidence from the crime scene for DNA analysis. As a result, a male DNA profile was obtained from the right-side area of Biechler's underwear and was determined to contain semen. In 2000, this DNA profile was submitted to a nationwide database that contains DNA profiles of individuals convicted of certain crimes.
The case was taken on by Lancaster County District Attorney's Cold Case Unit in January 2019. In June 2019, the unit requested further DNA analysis services. In September 2019, investigators released composites that revealed characteristics of the suspect including skin tone, eye color, and hair color.
Further genetic genealogy research in December 2020 ultimately identified Sinopoli through his Italian ancestry as a possible person of interest.
On February 11, 2022, investigators obtained DNA from Sinopoli from a coffee cup he used and threw it into a trash can before traveling at the Philadelphia International Airport. The coffee cup was then submitted to DNA Labs International for testing and in April 2022, it was determined that the DNA on the coffee cup contained a mixture of DNA with one male contributor.
Additional blood samples from the 1975 crime scene further matched the DNA sample from the coffee cup.
Sinopoli was arrested at his home on July 17 around 7:00 a.m. without incident.
"We are incredibly grateful for the work that they do and their commitment to securing justice for victims and their loved ones," District Attorney Heather Adams said. "Lindy Sue Biechler was on the minds of many throughout the years. Certainly, law enforcement never forgot about Lindy Sue, and this arrest marks the first step to obtaining justice for her and holding her killer responsible."
He was arraigned and remanded to Lancaster County Prison without bail.
