Suspect Makes One Mistake That Helps Police Finally Solve Twenty-Year-Old Cold Case of Murdered Mother

Apr 15, 2019 by apost team

Police in Florida recently arrested a 51-year-old man who is currently facing murder charges of the first degree. The suspect had successfully evaded the police for 20 years. He is being charged with the murder of a woman named Sondra Better. The 68-year-old woman was bludgeoned and stabbed to death at her place of work. The murder took place at Delray Beach on August 24, 1998.

Although there were ample amounts of evidence, blood samples, and fingerprints, the police were not able to find the person who committed the crime. Javaro Sims works as the Police Chief in Delray Beach. He acknowledged that the suspect was able to evade the police for many years despite the evidence stacked against him.

In December of 2018, a breakthrough finally occurred on a case that was two-decades old. Todd Barket sent his fingerprints to a lab in order to apply for a job as a nursing assistant. The man was 51-years-old.

When the prints were placed into the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, it was a clear match with a suspected murderer.

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Captain John Crane-Baker leads the Criminal Investigation Division for the Delray Beach Police Department. When his team approached Barket about the murder, the suspect didn't seem surprised at all. According to Captain Crane-Baker, Barket knew exactly why the police were at his house.

After describing the series of events that led to Barket's capture, the suspect simply shrugged his shoulders and said 'OK'.

In an interview with The Palm Beach Post, Captain Crane-Baker described how calm and nonchalant the suspect remained through the arrest. This was a puzzling reaction to the police officers who apprehended the suspect.

Robert Stevens was the lead dedective on Sondra Better's case. After working the same leads for 10 years, Stevens retired in 2007. He said that he never forgot about the woman and the murder case. He felt bad that she didn't receive justice.

In an interview with CNN Wire, Stevens revealed the difficulty working in the homicide division. He said that anybody working within the field understands how hard it is to deal with a truly innocent victim.

Seymour Better, the victim's husband, had already passed away some years before. However, her three daughters are still living in New York and Florida. Captain Crane-Baker offered his condolences to other victims of unsolved murders, but he also mentioned that this case should offer hope to others.

What do you think of this case? Is it ever too late for justice to be served? Pass this along to your friends and family.