Albany. New York — Albany. NEW YORK (AP) — Authorities in New York’s capital have identified the man they say raped, stabbed and beat a woman to death inside her home more than 60 years ago.
Officials have linked DNA from Joseph Nowakowski, who died in 1998, to the September 1964 killing of 50-year-old Katherine Blackburn, Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox said during a news conference Wednesday.
He was identified through a joint effort by the Criminal Investigation Resource Center at Russell Sage College and other forensic and investigative agencies, authorities said. The work, which spanned several years, finally allowed authorities to match DNA from the crime scene to that of Nowakowski, whose body was recently exhumed as part of the investigation, Albany Police Chief Melissa Morey said. She said Novakowski’s relatives cooperated with the investigation.
Authorities said Nowakowski had a lengthy criminal record, including an attack on an elderly woman in 1973 in Schenectady and several burglaries.
“We wanted to make sure we took every step possible to make 100% certain that he was in fact linked to this and that we had his DNA on file,” Cox said.
Nowakowski was in his early 30s when Blackburn was attacked and was not a suspect at the time. Authorities said Wednesday that there was no indication that Blackburn and Nowakowski knew each other.
Blackburn was found by her niece, Sandy Carmichael, who went to the house after one of Blackburn’s coworkers went to pick Blackburn up for work but was unable to locate her.
“Sixty-one years ago, evil entered my aunt’s house and changed our lives forever,” Carmichael, 81, said Wednesday. “Let’s pray for this day, for everyone who made this possible, God bless you.”