In a dramatic breakthrough, Richard Bilodeau, a 63-year-old resident of Center Moriches, New York, has been arrested for the 1984 murder of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco, a case that had remained unsolved for over four decades. The arrest, announced on October 15, 2025, has brought closure to one of Long Island’s most infamous cold cases.
Theresa Fusco was last seen on November 10, 1984, after leaving her job at the Hot Skates roller rink in Lynbrook, Long Island. Her body was discovered nearly a month later in a wooded area near the rink. Investigators found that she had been raped, beaten, and strangled.
Initially, three men were wrongfully convicted for her murder and served up to 18 years in prison before DNA evidence later exonerated them. They subsequently won a $43 million wrongful prosecution lawsuit, highlighting the grave miscarriage of justice in this case.
For decades, the investigation remained cold. The breakthrough came in early 2024 when authorities began focusing on Richard Bilodeau. In February 2025, DNA collected from a discarded smoothie cup at a Suffolk County café matched DNA found on Fusco’s body.
As per reports, at the time of the murder, Bilodeau was 23 years old, living with his grandparents near the crime scene, and operating a mobile coffee truck. The DNA evidence was the key that finally connected him to the decades-old crime.
Bilodeau, who currently works the overnight shift at a Walmart in Suffolk County, has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody without bail. His trial is scheduled to begin on November 21, 2025.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly emphasized the significance of the evidence, stating, “Science and DNA evidence doesn’t lie, period.”
