The Bridgeport Police have made an arrest in the cold case murder of Estella Branley,who was found strangled thirty one years ago in Seaside Park off Long Island sound.
The FBI crime lab in Quantico loaned their services when DNA was recently un-covered via the cold case file. A match was made with an inmate serving time in Newtown Connecticut he was 21 at the time of the murder.
As one would imagine the family was greatly impacted by years of no arrest being made for Stella violent death. As well there are always the questions like why and what happened, despite those details often being painful family members need to know. Ms Branleys sister was a detective with the Bridgeport Police at the time of the murder; she stated that she was afraid due to the "victimology" The police weren't being as proactive as they typically would be, because her sister was black and rumoured to be prostitute.
She stated to the media in 1983 that with a string of similar unsolved murders of women who were also possibly prostituting , she feared police were not making these cases a priority. She pointed out that
one life was as valuable as another and every unsolved murder especially involving sexual assault should recieve the same due diligence from the Police homicide department.
Thankfully we are seeing a change in the old thinking whereby murders of homeless people,drug addicts and
prostitutes routinely recieved less attention from law enforcement. This is not to say that the old prejudicial thinking is a thing of the past; depending on the state and the presiding police dept,one can still find a disparity in how some violent crimes are investigated. However it is becoming more and more class and color blind when it comes to solving murder and otherviolent crime. A human being that suffers a brutal crime whether it be sexual assault, assault or murder deserves diligence and the best resources for solving these crimes.
According to family members miss Branleys mother passed away in 2005 and she has been extremely affected by her daughters murder and the fact that the murder was unsolved for all of those Years.
While we wish Stella's mother had lived to see the arrest and conviction of her daughters murderer we are heartened that the rest of her family has been given the seeds of healing.
Rest in Peace Stella Branley.
Arrest made in 31-year-old murder
The FBI crime lab in Quantico loaned their services when DNA was recently un-covered via the cold case file. A match was made with an inmate serving time in Newtown Connecticut he was 21 at the time of the murder.
As one would imagine the family was greatly impacted by years of no arrest being made for Stella violent death. As well there are always the questions like why and what happened, despite those details often being painful family members need to know. Ms Branleys sister was a detective with the Bridgeport Police at the time of the murder; she stated that she was afraid due to the "victimology" The police weren't being as proactive as they typically would be, because her sister was black and rumoured to be prostitute.
She stated to the media in 1983 that with a string of similar unsolved murders of women who were also possibly prostituting , she feared police were not making these cases a priority. She pointed out that
one life was as valuable as another and every unsolved murder especially involving sexual assault should recieve the same due diligence from the Police homicide department.
Thankfully we are seeing a change in the old thinking whereby murders of homeless people,drug addicts and
prostitutes routinely recieved less attention from law enforcement. This is not to say that the old prejudicial thinking is a thing of the past; depending on the state and the presiding police dept,one can still find a disparity in how some violent crimes are investigated. However it is becoming more and more class and color blind when it comes to solving murder and otherviolent crime. A human being that suffers a brutal crime whether it be sexual assault, assault or murder deserves diligence and the best resources for solving these crimes.
According to family members miss Branleys mother passed away in 2005 and she has been extremely affected by her daughters murder and the fact that the murder was unsolved for all of those Years.
While we wish Stella's mother had lived to see the arrest and conviction of her daughters murderer we are heartened that the rest of her family has been given the seeds of healing.
Rest in Peace Stella Branley.
Arrest made in 31-year-old murder
