A 63-year-old man, Richard Bilodeau of Center Moriches, was indicted this month on charges tied to the 1984 rape and murder of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco after investigators say DNA recovered from a discarded smoothie straw matched evidence from the original crime scene. The arrest and arraignment, nearly four decades after Fusco was found in a wooded area near the Lynbrook roller rink, came after months of surveillance and new forensic testing. Bilodeau pleaded not guilty at his arraignment and has been remanded to custody pending further proceedings.
This grim case has a long and painful history: three men were wrongly convicted in the 1980s, later exonerated by DNA testing in 2003, and two of them received multimillion-dollar settlements for their wrongful imprisonment. That miscarriage of justice tore families apart and left the real killer free to walk among neighbors for years, a chilling reminder that flawed investigations have real human costs. Conservatives should remember both the need to hold the guilty accountable and to protect the innocent from rushes to judgment.
Law enforcement says the breakthrough came after federal and county investigators developed leads in 2024, surveilled Bilodeau, and recovered a tossed cup and straw he had used at a Tropical Smoothie Café; DNA taken from that straw reportedly matched the DNA recovered from Fusco’s body. That kind of meticulous, patient police work — paired with modern forensic science — is exactly the kind of capability communities should fund and celebrate. For conservative patriots who back law and order, this is a case study in why we must equip investigators with the tools to finish the job.
Make no mistake: the power of DNA technology to both free the innocent and identify the guilty is one of the great triumphs of modern criminal justice, and it should unite Americans across the political spectrum. Too often the left uses “reform” as a cudgel to demonize police, but here we see officers and federal agents working tirelessly to rectify a decades-old wrong and pursue the truth. Conservatives can and should demand both rigorous police standards and the resources for forensic units to ensure closure for victims’ families.
At the same time, this case exposes how badly the system can fail when investigators cut corners or manufacture evidence — a federal jury found misconduct by the lead detective in the original prosecutions. That corruption must be rooted out, prosecuted when it occurs, and used as a lesson to reinforce transparency and accountability in policing rather than as an excuse to defund or demoralize good officers. We owe it to both victims and the wrongly convicted to demand professionalism, not politics, in investigations.
Theresa Fusco’s father spoke at the news conference, saying the arrest offers the possibility of finality for a family that has carried this wound for generations; her mother died before she could see this development. That quiet, human anguish is what should move every citizen, especially conservatives who prize family and community, to support victims and to press for justice without political gamesmanship. The hope now is for a full, fair prosecution that honors Theresa’s memory and gives her loved ones the closure they deserve.
If the DNA match leads to a conviction, Bilodeau faces up to 25 years to life — but justice must be pursued through evidence, procedure, and the rule of law, not through headlines or partisan theater. This is a moment to celebrate the advances in forensic science and to recommit to equipping prosecutors and police with the tools to solve cold cases, while also insisting on accountability where the system has failed. America can be both tough on violent criminals and fair to the accused; that balance is the conservative way forward as we demand justice for Theresa and safety for our neighborhoods.
