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How a water bill helped send man prosecutors call an 'evil, dangerous, sadistic, predator' to prison
Crime
How a water bill helped send a man prosecutors call an ‘evil, dangerous, sadistic, predator’ to prison for 650 years
Published: Apr. 11, 2022, 5:00 a.m.
By Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.com
Steven Ray Hessler was sentenced last month to 650 years in prison, and he has his water bill and what sounds like some pretty, nifty detective work to blame for it.
Because, reports say that detective work, using DNA lifted from Hessler’s water bill, helped tie him to a violent string of rapes committed in the early 80s in Indiana and gain a conviction for the crimes.
The case reportedly turned in 2020 when an investigator asked prosecutors if they could send DNA samples to a Virginia company, which specialized in cold cases, for testing in a process similar to that used to capture the Golden State Killer. From there, they were reportedly able to narrow down a sample from one of the crime scenes to two men. ... Hessler was one of them.
That’s when police reportedly subpoenaed the utility company to gain access to the water bill which they lifted his DNA from. That DNA was then tied to a sample from one of the crime scenes. They later also reportedly swabbed Hessler’s cheek for DNA which was also a match to the sample from the crime scene.
{snip}
How a water bill helped send a man prosecutors call an ‘evil, dangerous, sadistic, predator’ to prison for 650 years
Published: Apr. 11, 2022, 5:00 a.m.
By Brian Linder | blinder@pennlive.com
Steven Ray Hessler was sentenced last month to 650 years in prison, and he has his water bill and what sounds like some pretty, nifty detective work to blame for it.
Because, reports say that detective work, using DNA lifted from Hessler’s water bill, helped tie him to a violent string of rapes committed in the early 80s in Indiana and gain a conviction for the crimes.
The case reportedly turned in 2020 when an investigator asked prosecutors if they could send DNA samples to a Virginia company, which specialized in cold cases, for testing in a process similar to that used to capture the Golden State Killer. From there, they were reportedly able to narrow down a sample from one of the crime scenes to two men. ... Hessler was one of them.
That’s when police reportedly subpoenaed the utility company to gain access to the water bill which they lifted his DNA from. That DNA was then tied to a sample from one of the crime scenes. They later also reportedly swabbed Hessler’s cheek for DNA which was also a match to the sample from the crime scene.
{snip}
2 replies
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