Man Arrested in Relation to 1986 Cold Case
Kaz Bresnan
Editor-in-Chief
News – Nation and World
An 18-year-old woman was found dead in Phoenix, AZ, in 1986, and now, nearly four decades later, police have made an arrest.
Alfred Earl Green was arrested on Feb. 20 in connection with the killing of Lachelle “Shelly” Waite. Green has been charged with first degree murder, according to a press release held by the Phoenix Police Department.
Waite was found dead in her home on Jan. 16, 1986. Police had found no evidence of forced entry and believed she had let her killer into the house. Several items were also stolen from the home at the time of the homicide according to police.
Investigators had a strong lead on a potential suspect but never had enough evidence to make an arrest and the case went cold. In 2022, evidence collected at the scene was submitted for advanced testing due to the advancements in DNA technology.
Detectives were able to match 70-year-old Green as a suspect in the homicide. Green was already serving another prison sentence on an unrelated case. He was arrested from his jail cell and charged with first-degree murder in connection to Waite’s death.
“Being able to finally let the family know, and also let the community know that after 39 years, we’re still working on these cases, trying to get justice for them, for the victims and their families, speaks to what this unit is all about,” Phoenix Det. Dominick Roestenberg said in the press release announcing the arrest.
Police did not reveal any motive or a connection between Green and Waite.
The homicide of Shelly Waite was the department’s oldest cold case arrest.
