MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A suspect has been arrested and charged in connection to the 1990 sexual assault and homicide of a Milwaukee woman.
The suspect, 52-year-old Larnell Washington, was arrested in the state of Washington this week and is awaiting extradition back to Wisconsin.
He is facing one charge: first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime, use of a dangerous weapon. If convicted, Washington could face a maximum of 25 years in prison.
In a criminal complaint, prosecutors allege Washington and another man, Ronald Brelove, raped and murdered a Milwaukee woman and left her in a driveway.
The crime happened back on July 16, 1990 near Vel. R. Phillips and Keefe.
Since then, Brelove, who is also called the "graveyard rapist" has been charged with 36 felony offenses and is serving a de factor life sentence.
Because of those charges and that sentence, he is not being charged in connection to the murder he and Washington were allegedly part of in 1990.
Washington, however, has been a suspect in the case since the crime was committed. According to a criminal complaint, two weeks before the woman was killed, Washington made derogatory comments to the victim's daughter.
When the victim found out, she and another man approached Washington, while armed. Washington had been with a group of "Vice Lords."
The complaint says the victim told the group, "this has nothing to do with you."
Washington allegedly responded by saying, "you right, but you can't come here beating on the CVL's and expect nothing to happen."
Two weeks later, the victim was found dead.
As an investigation into the incident began, police spoke with people who knew Washington. One person, who was allegedly dating Washington at the time, saw Washington shortly after the victim was killed.
He allegedly was wearing bloody clothes and kept saying, "she got shot."
In addition to statements from people Washington knew, police also have DNA evidence against Washington. According to a complaint, Washington's DNA was found under the victim's fingernails.
That evidence was first discovered in 2011. However, with technology back then, it was not enough for an arrest.
Back in 2022, the DNA was re-tested and showed "very strong support" that Washington's DNA was under the victim's fingernails.
