An explosive arrest has been made in the cold case of the 1980 murder of a 27-year-old California mother, 44 years after her brutal death.
Helen Terry had been stabbed 13 times and left for dead on the bathroom floor of her Orangewood West Apartments complex in Sacramento, while her six-month-old son crawled around the bloody crime scene.
The suspect, Robert Lee Terry, now 81, was arrested last Friday and charged with Terry’s murder.
He faces a charge of felony murder and is being held without bond at the Sacramento County Main Jail.
He is due back in court for a bail hearing on October 17.
Helen Terry had been stabbed 13 times and left for dead on the bathroom floor of her Orangewood West Apartments complex in Sacramento while her 6-month-old son crawled around the bloody crime scene.
The suspect, Robert Lee Terry, now 81, was arrested last Friday and charged with Terry’s murder after 44 years. His next court date is scheduled for October 17.
John Mays, Helen’s brother, shared how “loving and kind” his sister was and said he still couldn’t believe something so horrible could happen to his sister.
‘We had suspicions, but we can’t really do anything about it. “When it came to us, it was like a huge relief, like something we’ve known all along but never been able to prove,” Mays told a local. ABC10 News.
Mays was in court when her sister’s killer was left stone-faced.
“We’ve been wondering since day one, and this is the first little bit of hope we’ve had since then and we’re going to take it to the max,” he told local ABC News10.
John Mays, Helen’s brother, shared how “loving and kind” his sister was and said he still couldn’t believe something so horrible could happen to his sister.
Helen Terry’s family finally gets closure and justice after more than four decades
Helen’s adult son Eric, now 44, is yet to come forward after his mother’s killer was finally caught after more than four decades.
Sacramento police said the case was reopened in 2016 as part of a cold case initiative. DNA taken from blood at the crime scene matched suspect Robert Terry. SF Gate reported.
Robert was charged after new information was discovered that provided the evidence needed to charge him with Helen’s murder.
It is unclear whether Helen and Robert Terry were married.
Police said Eric is believed to be Robert’s biological son, although he denied performing a paternity test.
A police officer stands outside Helen Terry’s apartment complex on Wyndham Drive in Sacramento.
Sacramento police were called when a resident called the manager about a water leak coming from an apartment; Once inside, the manager made the macabre discovery.
Police assess the crime scene during the August 1980 murder.
When the young mother was savagely murdered on August 28, 1980, she had filed a paternity suit against Robert and was asking for child support.
Before the murder, a neighbor reported seeing a man banging on the door of Terry’s apartment. A loud commotion ensued, including sounds of “scrawling and screaming.”
At the time, the neighbor who feared for her own safety said she didn’t have her own phone to call the police, according to the news outlet.
Another resident complained about water leaking through the ceiling and when the manager entered the apartment, that’s when he made the gruesome discovery.
Helen’s gruesome death was front-page news in the Sacramento Bee. The newspaper clipping shows a Sacramento police officer walking with a piece of the bathroom door removed from the apartment where Terry was killed.
The racial slur written on the door was muted in the news clipping.
Authorities said there were blood stains throughout the apartment and furniture lying around, indicating the victim had fought with her attacker.
There was also a racial slur written on the vanity mirror. A $2,500 reward was offered, but the case was ultimately closed after detectives were unable to find any tangible leads.
A newspaper clipping of a Sacramento police officer removing the bathroom door of the apartment where Terry was killed. The racial slur that was written on the wall was silenced in the news clipping.
The Sacramento County Prosecutor’s Office’s Cold Case, Science and Technology Unit resumed the investigation and collaborated with the Sacramento Police Department to reopen the case.
“The Sacramento Police Department remains committed to seeking justice for victims of violent crimes, no matter how much time has passed,” they said in a statement.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in this ongoing investigation for their diligence and perseverance in resolving this case.”