Overview
- Richard Bilodeau, 63, was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder, including murder during a rape, and pleaded not guilty at his Nassau County arraignment.
- Investigators say DNA recovered in February 2024 from a smoothie cup and straw matched genetic material preserved from a 1984 vaginal swab, leading to the charge.
- Authorities said Othram built a DNA profile from the decades-old evidence in 2023, and the FBI’s Investigative Genetic Genealogy Unit helped generate leads to Bilodeau.
- A judge ordered Bilodeau held without bail, with his next court date set for November 21, and he faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.
- The case follows the 2003 exonerations of three men once convicted in Fusco’s murder; Bilodeau denies knowing the victim, and prosecutors say he remarked that people “got away with murder back then.”