SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Southfield police say they may never know why Deborah Kennedy was killed, but they say new forensic testing has identified who was responsible nearly three decades later.
Police arrested Robert Covington, 58, in Royal Lake, Illinois, and took him into custody in a case investigators say is 29 years old. Police credited advances in forensic science and continued detective work for the break.
“We made a commitment to do everything possible to bring resolution to this case for Deborah Kennedy and her family,” said Detective Brian Weeks.
Kennedy lived alone on Lee Baker Drive. In February 1997, police say a coworker asked officers to check on her after she didn’t show up for work at the GM Tech Center.
Officers found her stabbed to death, police said.
“There were no signs of forced entry,” Southfield police Chief Elvin Barren said.
He said evidence indicated Kennedy fought with her attacker, a detail that later became critical.
Police said DNA found under Kennedy’s fingernails and a fingerprint recovered from a credit card found on the bedroom floor did not identify a suspect at the time.
Investigators now say both pieces of evidence match Covington.
“It’s proof that even after decades, evidence can still speak and the truth can still be uncovered,” Barren said.
Police said Covington lived across the street at the time with his wife and mother-in-law, and that he left the state about two months after the killing.
Family members said the arrest brought renewed emotion and relief.
“Deborah was a sweetheart. She was a darling. She was very loved by her family,” said her cousin, Reggie Daniel. “Even to this day, over the years, the hurt is still there.”