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Andrew Dykes Pleads Not Guilty in 1997 Long Island Killing of Tanya Jackson

Prosecutors say DNA evidence links the retired trooper to the victim.

Overview

  • A Nassau County grand jury indicted Dykes on second-degree murder in the 1997 slaying at Hempstead Lake State Park.
  • He was arrested Dec. 3 in Ruskin, Florida, extradited to Nassau County, and is being held without bail pending a Jan. 16 hearing.
  • Prosecutors say his DNA matches evidence from Jackson, with a sample obtained from a discarded straw in Tampa.
  • Defense attorney Joseph Lo Piccolo says he will challenge the forensic evidence and describes his client as a law-abiding veteran.
  • He has not been charged in the death of 2-year-old Tatiana, and investigators say the case is separate from charges against Rex Heuermann in other Gilgo-area killings.