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Boston man arrested in 1997 cold case homicide
The suspect, Brian Keazer, was in his early 20s at the time of the homicide.
A Boston man was arrested in connection with a 1997 cold case on Tuesday.
Brian Keazer, 50, of Jamaica Plain, was arrested by officers assigned to the Boston Police Fugitive Unit at around 12:15 p.m. He had been wanted on a warrant for the murder of Ruth Foster, 56, of Boston, police say.
Around 1:25 a.m., on Oct. 14, 1997, Boston police responded to 47 Withington St. in Mattapan and found the homicide victim, who was later identified as Foster. No connection between Foster and Keazer was noted.
Keazer allegedly stabbed Foster 37 times before fleeing her apartment, where the front door was broken with blood and glass on the ground, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
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There were blood stains on the doorframe and DNA under her fingernails, the DA says.
Five people, including Keazer’s brother, son, and three acquaintances, provided DNA samples and were ruled out as suspects, the DA says.
In recent years, law enforcement identified Keazer as a suspect. After placing Keazer under surveillance, officials were able to utilize Keazer’s spit from a sidewalk to match it to the blood found at Foster’s apartment, the DA says.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden called the investigation and arrest a “testament to advanced forensics and unrelenting investigative work.”
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He continued, “Brian Keazer may have thought he’d never be made to answer for this horrible act of violence. He thought wrong. We and Boston Police never gave up on justice for Ruth Foster, nor do we on any other unsolved homicide.”
Keazer pleaded not guilty to murder in Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday and is being held without bail, the DA says. Keazer is set to reappear in court on Jan. 8 for a pre-trial hearing.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the homicide is asked to contact the Boston Police Homicide Unit at 617-343-4470.
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