A suspect arrested recently in connection with a violent sexual assault in August in east Phoenix was linked by DNA with a 2024 homicide in the same area, Phoenix police said Sept. 23.
Phoenix police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Luis Tapia, who was taken into custody on Sept. 20.
“This discovery is the result of the tireless work of multiple investigative bureaus working collaboratively to identify and arrest the man responsible for both the homicide and sexual assault,” a Phoenix Police news release stated.
In the homicide case, 64-year-old Margie New was found unresponsive on the ground with a head injury around 6:30 a.m. on June 13, 2024, on 46th Street several blocks north of Oak Street, police officials said. She was taken to a hospital and died from her injuries a week later, on June 21.
Investigators working on the homicide collected biological evidence from the victim, which was processed and resulted in the discovery of a male DNA profile. That profile was entered into a database, but no match was found, according to the news release.
In August, a violent sexual assault occurred just a few yards south, in that same alley where New was found. Police initially received reports of someone yelling near 44th and Oak streets in Phoenix, around 4 a.m. Aug. 14, police said in a media advisory at the time.
At the location, police discovered a trail of blood that led to a partially unclothed woman, Lt. Casey Tornberg told reporters at a Sept. 5 news conference. Detectives also found two used condoms nearby, and a pair of male shorts with a soccer logo on them, along with a slide-type sandal, according to court documents.
Evidence was collected and submitted to the Phoenix Police crime laboratory for analysis. When that profile was entered into a database, a match was found.
“Detectives learned the same suspect was linked to both New’s murder and the sexual assault,” the release stated. But the suspect’s identity remained unknown.
Detectives were led to Tapia when a community member provided a tip. With that information and further investigation, they were able to identify Tapia, and he was taken into custody on Sept. 20. Tapia was booked on suspicion of sexual assault and kidnapping.
A search warrant was served and allowed police to collect evidence with Tapia’s DNA. Additional charges from the homicide case will soon be added to Tapia’s case, Phoenix police said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police link sexual assault suspect to 2024 homicide in same area