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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Sue Yutzy volition ne'er hide walking down Hammonds Ferry Road successful Lansdowne connected September 23, 1981. She was 14 years aged astatine the clip and with her champion person Heather Porter, who was a twelvemonth younger. It would beryllium the past clip she ever saw Porter alive.
“Heather had gotten into an statement with her parents that night. I was punished. We snuck retired to beryllium together,” Yutzy told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. “I near Heather 2 blocks that way. The adjacent day, I aftermath up, and I’m told my champion person is murdered, and I’ve ne'er been the same. Being 14 years old, that was truly hard to instrumentality in.”
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Police said Porter was raped and strangled. Her assemblage was dumped successful Towson. “I can’t ideate her fear. What was going connected successful her mind? I can’t ideate immoderate of that,” Yutzy told Hellgren. “I had survivor’s guilt. I carried that for galore years leaving her and not walking her location to her door.”
Back successful 2017, @DeniseWJZ spoke to the household of Heather Porter, a 13yo murdered successful 1981. Porter’s sister, who has since died, talked astir what uncovering the slayer would mean to her. This week, Police said they cracked the lawsuit done DNA testing. https://t.co/1JyV6qM5j2 @wjz pic.twitter.com/qW03Z8Kes7
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) December 3, 2021
For much than 4 decades, Yutzy regularly called Baltimore County constabulary to effort to support the lawsuit alive. But determination were nary large updates until November of 2021, erstwhile the detective starring the probe told her they had a suspect. This week, constabulary publically identified the idiosyncratic they judge committed the sidesplitting arsenic John Anthony Petrecca Junior. “It’s bully to person the closure. The name. The look of who did it,” Yutzy said. “I cognize him, but I’m trying to enactment the pieces unneurotic of however I cognize him.”
#BCoPD detectives lick 40-year-old homicide. In 1981, Heather Porter was 13-years-old. Learn much astir the teen's lawsuit here: https://t.co/nTzCaN81jS pic.twitter.com/ez4RoVgnCA
— Baltimore County Police Department (@BaltCoPolice) December 1, 2021
Petrecca, who constabulary said had a grounds of rape arrests successful the 1960s and 1970s, died much than 20 years ago. Police exhumed his assemblage connected March 11th with written authorization from the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office. They tested the DNA, and it came backmost a match.
Petrecca, BCPD
“Bode Technology analyzed the illustration and forwarded their results to the FBI for further analysis,” constabulary said successful a statement. “In February of 2021, results identified John Anthony Petrecca, Jr., arsenic a imaginable fishy successful the execution of 13-year-old Heather Porter. …Baltimore County Homicide Cold Case detectives determined, astatine the clip of the killing, Petrecca resided successful the 100 artifact of Ridge Ave., successful Halethorpe, Maryland. The determination is simply a abbreviated region from wherever Heather Porter was past seen.”
WJZ was incapable to scope Petrecca’s household for comment. “As a effect of advances successful forensic technology, Porter’s household members present cognize the individuality of the idiosyncratic who took their loved ones life. The Baltimore County Police Department would similar to convey Bode Technology, the Hackerman Foundation and the FBI for their adept analysis, assistance and enactment successful solving this acold case,” constabulary said.
Heather Porter’s household spoke to WJZ successful 2017 pursuing our year-long probe into the disappearances and killings of respective young radical believed to beryllium linked to a imaginable enactment ringing tally by almighty priests and police.
“She had 2 thumbprints connected her neck, she had a handprint connected her limb oregon bruises,” said Mary Porter, Heather’s sister. “She had tegument underneath her fingernails. Her fingernails were broke from the struggle. So she fought to the death.”
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Friends said Mary Porter died 2 years ago, ne'er knowing who killed Heather.
WJZ Anchor Denise Koch asked her successful 2017 astir the anticipation of the fishy being deceased since the transgression happened truthful agelong ago. “If you tin beryllium that idiosyncratic did it, I’ve got justice,” Mary Porter said. “At slightest they’re dead. At slightest they can’t bash it to anyone else. They can’t bash it to different surviving soul. They can’t interruption different family. They can’t wounded different guiltless child.”
A constabulary root told america successful 2017 they were looking into whether Porter’s lawsuit was tied to respective others and whether determination were immoderate links to the precocious Father Joseph Maskell, the clergyman investigated successful the Netflix bid ‘The Keepers.’
Father Maskell's sedate successful Baltimore County. Detectives exhumed his assemblage successful Feb. Latest connected the execution of Sister Cathy astatine 5&6 @cbsbaltimore pic.twitter.com/aFLDPzDafI
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) May 18, 2017
“Including myself, we were each connected to Father Maskell. He has hands successful each 1 of these people’s lives. I privation answers to those questions,” Sue Yutzy told Hellgren Thursday.
The lone idiosyncratic constabulary person named arsenic liable for Porter’s decease is Petrecca.
Police said Petrecca is being considered successful notation to different cases but determination is thing definitively linking him to immoderate of them.
“Everyone’s thanking maine for Heather‘s lawsuit being solved. I did not lick the case, the constabulary did. I’m just, I loved her. She was my champion friend. And that’s what you do,” Yutzy said, remembering however the 2 loved listening to The Beatles. “Every twelvemonth connected Paul McCartney’s birthday, we would virtually cook a barroom and devour it to celebrate.”
She showed Hellgren the Christmas ornament she bought for the detective who cracked the case. It had his sanction and the connection “hero” written connected it.
She bought this Christmas ornament for the Baltimore County detective who helped ace the case. She wrote “hero” connected it. @wjz pic.twitter.com/QgGkRUkZUs
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) December 3, 2021
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“He told maine immoderate 10 oregon 11 months agone that helium was going to lick this, and I knew successful my bosom by his voice, his words and his determination that helium was the one,” Yutzy said. “I tin unrecorded with the information that the fishy is deceased due to the fact that he’s not surviving his life. It’s inactive painful. I consciousness numb. It’s going to instrumentality a process. It has been 40 years.”
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