The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the likely suspect of a 1981 homicide case on Monday.
According to the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office, DNA collected under Virginia Freeman’s fingernails confirms that James Otto Earhart brutally murdered Freeman in 1981.
Earhart was convicted in Brazos County in 1987 and was executed by lethal injection for kidnapping and murdering a 9-year-old on August 11, 1999.
Earhart’s son cooperated with officials and provided a DNA specimen. On June 21, it was confirmed that the DNA specimen provided from Earhart’s son was a match of parental lineage.
“The solving of this ‘cold’ case, after 37 years of investigating, brings relief and closure for the Freeman family, Virginia’s friends, the local real estate industry and our community,” Sheriff Chris Kirk said. “It is an incredible example of the tenacity and perseverance of the investigators involved in this case.”
On Dec. 1, 1981, Freeman responded to a call from an unidentified person who stated that they had cash and wanted to invest in some property. She met with the suspect at a house located south of College Station.
Her husband reported her missing and later found her at the location.
Freeman was attacked and dragged from the front to the side of the house. There were signs of a struggle. Freeman’s wounds included being stabbed multiple times, strangled and bludgeoned on the head with a piece of broken concrete, according to the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office.
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