The savage 1994 cold-case murder of a Harlem mother and her daughter with special needs was charged as murder on Monday against ex-convict Larry Atkinson, who served numerous times in state prison.
According to the police, Larry Atkinson, 64, was detained by the NYPD Bronx Cold Case Squad at 7:30 a.m. for the nearly three decades ago strangulation deaths of Sarah Roberts, 57, and her 25-year-old daughter, Sharon.
The mother and daughter were found on February 20, 1994, inside their apartment in the Grant Houses public housing project. But until recently, the case was unresolved.
Larry Atkinson Was Arrested In Relation To A 1994 Death
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Police sources claim that officers used DNA evidence from the crime scene, which was a 28-year-old crime scene, including evidence from cigarette butts and fingernail clippings, to connect the murders to the alleged perpetrator.
Authorities investigating the murder claim that Atkinson was dating Sharon Roberts’ home health aide, who now lives with Sharon Roberts and cares for her developmental disabilities.
Celeste Cornelius, the assistant, helped her husband on Monday. I’m not interested in the DNA or any of that rubbish. He was not the offender. Police could not locate any evidence of a forced entry in the sixth-floor apartment when the home attendant discovered the horrible discovery and called 911, The Post reported at the time.
According to authorities, Sarah Roberts was discovered in bed in 1994, but her daughter was found on the ground with “a woolen stocking wrapped around her neck.”
The cops reported that they recovered a tape video recorder and several hundred dollars in cash. According to Sarah Roberts’ neighbors, she suffered from emphysema.
Who Are Sharon and Sarah Roberts’ Victims
Atkinson was charged in connection with the deaths of Sarah Roberts, 57, and Sharon Roberts, 27. The mother and daughter were discovered strangled in their Grant House apartment on the evening of February 20, 1994. When NYPD officers arrived at their West 125th Street residence in response to a 911 call, they found them unconscious in a bedroom.
The daughter’s oxygen machine tubing was used to strangle both of them, the medical examiner discovered.DNA evidence was reportedly utilized by the NYPD cold case section to link Atkinson to the murders, according to 1010 WINS.
Among the evidence were fingernail scrapings and biological remnants found in one of the victims’ hands. DNA samples were analyzed in 1994, but no one’s DNA was found to match.
Information on the Larry Atkinson arrest case
The discovery of their remains was reported in a 1994 WPIX article. The door was unlocked and there were no signs of a break-in when the attendant arrived. The authorities at the time determined that the mother had emphysema. The girl was wearing a wool stocking around her neck when her body was found.
As reported by WPIX, Atkinson allegedly dated the housekeeper who found the bodies. At the time, the home attendant had been exonerated and was not thought to be a suspect.
After a significant amount of time had passed, cold case detectives once more analyzed DNA samples retrieved from the crime scene to those in national databases and discovered a match to Atkinson.
Atkinson has a history of 13 arrests and was formerly a criminal. According to state records, he was convicted five times and served time under different aliases. He was taken into custody on Monday while dwelling in a Manhattan, New York, home.
He told the authorities that he wasn’t feeling well after being arrested, and they took him to the hospital. As soon as it’s safe to do so medically, Atkinson will be tried for two charges of murder.
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