A Los Angeles man was arrested in connection with the unsolved murder of a woman in 1984.
Richard Moore, 59, was taken into custody at his Echo Park home on June 27 for the murder of Madeline Garcia, 69, in Northern California.
Moore was 19 years old when prosecutors alleged he attacked the woman on the 300 Block of Atlantic Street in Roseville. He then dragged her into an alleyway where she was beaten to death, officials said.
Since the woman’s killing, detectives investigated the case but could not find solid leads. The case eventually went cold.
Now, 40 years later, with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies and a breakthrough in DNA technology, Moore was identified as the suspect and tracked down by authorities.
Neighbors who lived by Moore in a quiet Echo Park neighborhood said they were in disbelief over the allegations, with many saying the man seemed friendly and helpful.
“It’s been a shock to learn that something so crazy is happening with someone who we live near,” one neighbor, who did not wish to be identified, told KTLA’s Angeli Kakade. “He was always pretty friendly. I rode my bicycle by one time and he asked if I needed to air my tires.”
As police surrounded Moore’s home on June 27, neighbors were left stunned.
“We got up early to walk the dogs and noticed a bunch of unmarked cop cars, like Toyota Camrys and Hondas with the red and blues,” the neighbor recalled. “It definitely had a heavy sort of feeling to it that something big has gone down.”
Moore was transported back to Placer County where he was charged with one count of murder along with special allegations relating to kidnapping and rape.
He appeared in court on July 8 for an arraignment hearing where a public defender was appointed and he entered a not guilty plea. The next court date is scheduled for July 22, according to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office.
The decades-long investigation involved several agencies including the Placer County District Attorney’s Investigations Unit, the Roseville Police Department, and the FBI Sacramento Field Office.