Grand jury indicts inmate in 1985 rape, slaying

Posted: Nov 20, 2009 6:03 AM
Updated: Nov 20, 2009 6:03 AM

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) A Walker native already serving a life sentence in Georgia for a 1995 murder has been indicted in the 1985 rape and beating death of a 19-year-old woman inside her Baton Rouge home.

On Thursday, an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury charged 54-year-old Vernon Kennedy with second-degree murder in the slaying of Tina Marie Kristynik on Sept. 18, 1985.

The Advocate of Baton Rouge reports police questioned Kennedy in Kristynik's death during their initial investigation in 1985. An arrest warrants says Kennedy told police he vaguely knew Kristynik, had never been to her house, and the last time he had seen her was a week before her death.

District Attorney Hillar Moore III said DNA evidence and the work of detectives linked Kennedy to the 24-year-old homicide.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.2theadvocate.com

Topics: Cold Case-DNA