WBAL
September 7, 2014
It was on December 7, 1981, 75-year-old Anna Smith was found dead in her home in the 2500-block of West Fairmount Avenue.
Baltimore City Police say she was found bound, gagged, and partially nude.
Today police and prosecutors announced an arrest in the case, thanks to DNA evidence.
Phillip Lee, who is now 54-years-old, is charged with first and second degree murder, plus other offenses. He was indicted this week and faces a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg Bernstein would not say where Lee was arrested, but note he was not incarcerated at the time of his arrest.
Police say detectives in the Homicide Cold Case Squad were reviewing the case in 2005, and noted a trace of DNA left on a blanket at the scene.
Bernstein said a preliminary match in the state’s DNA database led detectives to Lee.