Overview
- District Attorney Jennifer Schorn identified William Schrader as the person who raped and killed the 9-year-old in St. Mark’s Catholic Church on Oct. 22, 1962.
- Schrader, who died in 2002 after serving prison time in Louisiana, was long on investigators’ radar and was described by the DA as an “absolute predator.”
- A grand jury last week concluded Schrader was the killer based on forensic evidence, a witness who placed him at the church that night, and a confession he made to his stepson.
- Prosecutors said pubic hair found on the victim’s hand and thighs did not exclude Schrader, and recent evidence review followed a year of advanced DNA testing efforts despite degraded samples.
- Officials noted earlier investigative detours, including a false confession and a priest who lied about his whereabouts, and they credited sustained reporting and a podcast with helping keep the case alive.