An elderly woman beloved by her community was beaten to death by an unemployed neighbor during a break-in—a conclusion it took more than two decades to reach, authorities said Friday, per the New York Times. Edna Schubert, 88, was found dead of blunt force trauma in her Long Island home in December 2003 after neighbors noticed her front door was ajar and a window had been broken. Authorities said she had visible shoe prints on her face and neck, per the New York Post. Though she had no children, Schubert "was the grandma to every kid in her neighborhood," which was left devastated, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said while announcing a suspect had finally been arrested, per the Times.
Raul Ayala, 51, now charged with murder, was said to be an unemployed 29-year-old living around the corner from Schubert in North Bay Shore at the time of the crime. He was arrested Jan. 16, more than a year after retired Suffolk County police detective Pasquale Albergo, who was haunted by the case, called for it to be reexamined with the latest technologies. Investigators ultimately used modern high-definition photography to clarify a fingerprint visible on the blinds over the broken window. Running the image through a database, they discovered it was "Ayala's left thumbprint," Tierney said, per CNN.
Ayala's prints also matched another print found on a door, the DA said. Detectives then retrieved DNA from Schubert's clothing, which matched with DNA from the cap of a Gatorade bottle Ayala threw away after he was put under surveillance in August, authorities said, per the Post. "Justice has no expiration date," Tierney said, per CNN, noting Ayala, now deaf and living in Georgia, was charged for a "brutal murder" that "haunted Suffolk County for over two decades." Charged with first- and second-degree murder, Ayala could face life in prison without parole if convicted of the more serious charge. He's next due in court March 5, per WSB. (More cold cases stories.)
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