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2h ago

R.I. Cold Case Unit Identifies Killers in Two Long-Unsolved Murders

The attorney general cites modern forensics paired with renewed witness work as the basis for the closures.

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The 1984 murder of 24-year-old Debra Stone and the 2007 murder of 49-year-old Cynthia McKenna were solved through the investigative efforts, which included extensive reinterviewing of witnesses and DNA analysis.
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Overview

  • Officials named Robert J. Corry Jr. as responsible for the 2007 killing of Cynthia McKenna in North Providence.
  • A new handwriting review and Y‑STR DNA from an envelope seal tied to a male relative confirmed Corry authored confession letters intercepted in 2007.
  • Investigators concluded Robert D. Geremia strangled Debra Stone in 1984, based on consistent reinterviews and corroborating physical details from his Johnston apartment.
  • Both suspects are deceased—Geremia died in 1995 and Corry in 2014—so no charges will be filed, and the cases are administratively closed as solved.
  • The Cold Case Unit, launched in 2023, worked with local police, interviewed 32 witnesses in the Stone case, and released detailed reports outlining the evidence.