HOUSTON — A Houston man has been charged in connection with a 2007 cold case killing.
Anthony Darrell Lankford, 64, was arrested at his home on Monday and charged with murder.
According to court documents, Lankford killed 43-year-old Bethal Ann Rawls on November 12, 2007.
A relative found the victim's body in her apartment on Bissonnet near the Sam Houston Tollway in southwest Houston. She'd been beaten, stabbed and strangled.
The relative went there to check on Rawls because they couldn't reach her.
Several persons of interest were investigated back then but eliminated based on DNA evidence.
Earlier this year, cold case detectives took another look at the case and linked Lankford to Rawls through her phone records and other evidence. He was brought in to be questioned in February and agreed to give a DNA sample.
The results came back recently and Lankford was determined to be a match.
Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers said this case gives hope to other victims' families who are still waiting for justice.
“You know justice was lacking for the Rawls family. At least now hopefully they’ll be able to get some answers as to what happened to their family member,” he said. “That’s the question so many families have with unsolved cases. Why was my loved one the one that was killed.”
Police haven't released a motive in the case.