Staten Island Bishop Charged In Decades Old Cold Case Murder

On Thursday, Police officers collared the prime suspect in a cold case murder of a 19-year-old named Lorraine Snell. The girl was found strangled in the back of a station wagon in Brooklyn in 1980.

The prime suspect, James Burress, from Staten Island, was brought in handcuffs before a judge in Brooklyn Supreme court to answer for the charges. He pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder claim in connection with Snell’s death.

Burress, the Bishop of By Divine Purpose Christian Center, was married to Snell’s cousin at the time of the murder.

Authorities say the indictment against him was the result of a thorough investigation and the available evidence.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez stated that his thoughts were with Lorraine Snell’s mother, who waited decades to see her daughter’s murderer brought to justice.

According to the investigation reports, Snell went to the Midwood Terrace catering hall on Flatbush Avenue to reserve the space for a party she was organizing for her boyfriend.

Authorities say that Burress allegedly admitted to the police that he was with her at the venue and walked her part of the way home.

Investigations then revealed that his DNA was a positive match to the one which was found under the victim’s fingernail, considering she must have struggled.

The last time anyone saw Snell alive was on September 25, 1980. she was seen leaving the catering hall venue with Burress at 11 pm that night.

The very next day, her lifeless body was found in the vehicle parked in a C-Town supermarket at 1895 Nostrand Avenue.

The bishop had previously worked at the store, and the vehicle was the property of his previous employer. He apparently admitted to robbing a cab stand on the night Snell was killed and served prison time for the offense.

After he was released from prison, Burress became a Christian and began as a street preacher. He held services in a garage in Staten Island where he also lives. The police arrested him there.

Pearl Snell-Holder, the mother, told media outlets after his arraignment in court that she always had a feeling that the bishop had a hand in her daughter’s killing.

She emphasized that the arrest provided justice for her daughter, but it did not give her any closure. Burress is due to go back to court on March 25. He is currently being held without bail.