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Valasca

Death, horror, torture
The Cold Case Unit at the Alachua County Sheriff's Office believes the killer in the 1982 slaying of Catherine Rochelle has been identified.

But that suspect will never see the inside of a courtroom or a prison cell.

After reviewing the case file in the stabbing death now almost three decades old, Detective Robert Dean said the Cold Case Unit agreed with the original investigator's conclusions. A man named Johnny Hollis, 50, an acquaintance of Rochelle's husband, likely was her attacker. And, if he was alive, the Sheriff's Office would now be pursuing a case against him.

Hollis, however, died about a year and half after Rochelle's slaying, Dean said. An employee with a timber company, according to Rochelle's son, Hollis was killed when a tree fell on him.

"God took care of things before we could," Dean said.

The investigative team, which includes Dean, cold case analyst Jamie Whiteway and Larry Ruby, a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, make up the Cold Case Unit. The three work to solve unsolved cases involving murder, missing persons and unidentified remains.

Rochelle's case was one of more than almost 30 pending with the team.

Rochelle was home alone on June 17, 1982, at 3414 S.E. 16th Ave. She was in bed when someone entered the home, using a key, came into the bedroom and tried to sexually assault her. There was a struggle, and Rochelle was stabbed several times in the chest, stomach and shoulders. Her husband found her, still alive, the next day. She survived three days before she dying from her injuries.

Investigators knew the attacker had a key and was familiar with the home. It also was noted that the woman had been receiving harassing phone calls.

Hollis, who lived within walking distance of the woman's home, fit the profile. He knew Rochelle's husband and had been inside the residence. He had a key and knew the couple's unlisted phone number. A witness who saw someone enter the home at the time of the attack provided a description that matched Hollis. And Hollis' occupation explained wood chips found at the crime scene.

Much more at: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100512/ARTICLES/100519760/1002?p=all&tc=pgall
 
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