Police Used DNA Database To Find Evelyn Player’s Killer; Suspect Had Lengthy Record of Violent Crimes Against Women

2 years ago 438

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Bishop Dontè Hickman leads the 4,000-member congregation astatine Southern Baptist Church, and they are inactive reeling from the decease of 1 of their own: 69-year-old Evelyn Player. She was stabbed to decease successful a bath connected November 16th portion astatine the religion volunteering. Player’s household members person been portion of Southern Baptist for generations.

An apprehension this week successful the lawsuit did bring immoderate comfort.

“Peace and I deliberation immoderate resoluteness to this chartless quality who has been lurking astir and committing this benignant of violence. It does springiness radical bid that helium is disconnected the streets, but it is inactive bewildering and perplexing arsenic to wherefore this happened,” Hickman told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.

According to charging documents WJZ obtained, DNA pb them to the suspect, 62-year-old Manzie Smith, who has a past of convulsive attacks connected women dating backmost 40 years. They were capable to lucifer DNA astatine the transgression country to Smith’s DNA already successful the state’s database.

Smith’s grounds includes a 1979 rape condemnation wherever helium received a 15-year sentence, a 1992 rape and battle wherever helium received a 30-year sentence. For the 2014 battle and robbery of an aged woman, Smith got an 8-year situation sentence. He was aboriginal released connected mandatory supervision which expired successful October—just weeks earlier the killing.

“The judicial strategy truly didn’t bash a bully occupation of causing this idiosyncratic to beryllium rehabilitated. There are truthful galore things that we person to springiness information to due to the fact that we bash not privation to pre-judge radical who person served clip done the judicial system, but we besides privation to supply the capable benignant of attraction and supervision truthful that these kinds of acts don’t happen,” the victim’s pastor said.

He besides told Hellgren helium had ne'er seen the fishy astatine his religion before.

According to charging documents, Evelyn Player suffered aggregate stab wounds, and determination were besides aggregate antiaircraft wounds connected her hands: She fought back. There is nary denotation she knew the suspect.

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Hellgren asked Hickman astir forgiveness: “The quality broadside of maine says, ‘Hell no. I can’t forgive. The pastoral, spiritual broadside of me, knowing what Christ has forgiven america each of and died connected the transverse says, ‘Yes.’ There is thing that is beyond the emotion and the grace of deity adjacent if that’s to beryllium recovered done justice.”