By: Michael Chuang

For over four decades, officials were unable to track down the killer of three women and a teenager. Recently, the man was arrested and charged with four counts of murder and related charges. DNA samples have contributed greatly to the finding of this criminal.

Detectives from the Los Angeles and Inglewood Police Departments from California traveled to Fort Worth, Texas to arrest murderer Billy Ray Richardson. The police linked Richardson to the 1980 murders of Kari Lenander, Beverly Cruse, and Debra Cruse in Los Angeles. Prosecutors claimed that all the victims had been raped.

George Gascon, a Los Angeles district attorney, said that he was thankful for those whose work had led to the arrest. “I cannot imagine the pain that these families have endured … Their loss is immeasurable. We hope that together, we can bring justice to the families who have endured so much and have waited years for this moment,” he said.

The bodies of Beverly Cruse and Debra Cruse were found on March 5, 1980, by their brother who came to visit. He told the police he went to the apartment because he had not heard from his sisters for several days.

Lenander’s body was discovered on July 26, 1980, in a South Los Angeles neighborhood. Officials claimed that the crime was sexually motivated. A little over 2 decades later, in 2012, a prize money of $50,000 was approved by the Los Angeles City Council for anyone who could provide information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the murderer.

The body of Trina Wilson was found 15 years after Lenander’s on December 31, 1995, in Inglewood, California. According to the New York Times, the circumstances of her death were not immediately clear on Friday, when Richardson was charged with four counts of murder and related charges.