Serial Rapist Accused Of Murder In 1981 Cold Case
(CBS) -- DNA cracks a cold case.
More than three decades after Carol Novak's brutal murder, police say they've identified a suspect: Eugene Booker, 59, a serial rapist already serving time for multiple sexual assaults.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
Thirty-five year-old Novak was stabbed more than 50 times in her back, right side, neck and right eye in 1981. Even her dog was stabbed in the head.
At the time, detectives find evidence of sexual assault at the scene, taking DNA evidence from Novak's body and belongings. But after a lengthy investigation, the case remained unsolved for years.
In 2013, police reopened the cold case and entered the DNA evidence into a computerized DNA identification system.
The profile positively matched Booker. Booker was already behind bars, known as the "Dreadlock" Rapist for the way he wore his hair during a year-long crime spree in the 1980s. Police say during that time, he sexually assaulted multiple women inside various North Side apartment buildings.
Prosecutors say Booker found his victims on public transit, then followed them to their homes. Right now, he's serving an 80-year prison term for six sexual assault convictions.
On Friday, a judge denied him bond in the reopened murder case.
