Brutal murder of teenager unsolved for decades - now the police have found the perpetrator!
Utah (USA) - For decades, the brutal murder of Christine Gallegos remained unsolved. But now - almost 40 years later - the "cold case" has finally been solved!
In May 1985, the then 18-year-old was last seen alive when she was hitchhiking to work in the US state of Utah.
As the New York Post reported, her body was discovered a day later by a motorist.
Her murder was gruesome: she was first raped , brutally beaten, stabbed and then killed with two shots to the head.
According to the police , Christine was still fighting desperately against her attacker. She left numerous traces of blood at the scene of the crime. At the time, these could not be attributed to anyone - the investigation was closed.
Nevertheless, the case remained active in national databases. In 2023, the investigation was resumed after an unknown male DNA profile appeared in one of these archives.
Ricky Lee Stallworth identified as murderer
The investigation finally resulted in a hit - for Ricky Lee Stallworth!
A voluntary DNA sample from a family member identified him as the perpetrator.
Stallworth was 27 years old at the time of the murder and a soldier in the U.S. Air Force.
He died of natural causes in 2023 - a fact that investigators find frustrating as they were unable to bring him to justice.
He was married four times and left behind three children. One of his ex-wives doubts the results of the investigation and believes that the real perpetrator is "still out there".
Christine Gallegos' family finally has certainty
She described Stallworth as a loving, gentle husband and hard-working engineer. During their 19-year marriage, she said, he never spoke up or became violent.
"He never had the chance of a trial. We will take action against it," she said.
Christine's family has also already been informed of the breakthrough after 40 years. Her mother said that not a day had gone by since her daughter's death that she had not thought of her.
She said that Christine had been engaged to a man named Troy and that they had plans to start a family together.
Even if the crime can no longer be undone, her family now has at least one thing left: certainty.