DNA Found On Coffee Cup Helps Solve Decades-Old Murder Case; Suspect Arrested

Lancaster, Pennsylvania -- Lancaster, Pennsylvania -- A discarded coffee cup has helped authorities solve a nearly half-century-old case. A 68-year-old man has been arrested in the 1975 cold case murder of a Pennsylvania woman, more than four decades later.

Police arrested David Sinopoli on Sunday using DNA samples lifted from a coffee cup found at Philadelphia International Airport on Feb. 11, 2022. A criminal homicide charge was filed against David Sinopoli, according to Lancaster County prosecutors and Manor Township police, Associated Press reported.

The victim, Lindy Sue Biechler, was stabbed 19 times in her home in Kloss Drive on Dec. 5, 1975, after she had returned from a grocery store. Blood was found outside Beichler's front door and on the wall of the entrance. Investigators also found blood patches on the carpet, CBS News reported.

Prosecutors said that forensic evidence suggested a sexual motive, and police suspected the perpetrator knew the victim, who was 19 years old at the time. Investigators also found male DNA containing semen on Biechler's underwear. Three years later, the DNA profile was recorded on the national database that had profiles of convicted criminals.

In 2019, the investigators released images of a man based on the DNA evidence collected from the scene. DNA analysis further revealed the suspect’s eye color, hair and skin tone.

A genetic genealogy study in December 2020 identified Sinopoli as a possible person of interest in the murder case. Sinopoli was arrested from his residence on Sunday morning.

"Lindy Sue Beichler was 19 years old when her life was brutally taken from her in the sanctity of her own home 46 years ago," District Attorney Heather Adams said.

The DA hoped that the arrest would bring relief to the victim's family whose questions were left unanswered for 46 years.