1984 killing new york straw.

This image, provided by the Nassau County District Attorney, in Mineola, N.Y., Wednesday, Oct 15, 2025, shows a cup with straw used by Richard Bilodeau. (Nassau County District Attorney via AP)

A discarded straw leads to murder charges in 1984 killing of New York teen

Prosecutors say DNA obtained from a discarded straw has led to the indictment of a man accused of sexually assaulting and killing a New York teenager more than 40 years ago. Sixty-three-year-old Richard Bilodeau pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two counts of murder in the death of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco. She disappeared after leaving her part-time job at a Long Island roller-skating rink in November 1984. Three men convicted of the killing served several years in prison before being exonerated by DNA evidence. Investigators now say that DNA taken from Fusco’s body in 1984 matches a sample extracted from a straw that Bilodeau used and discarded last year.

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