QUEENS, NY – In a major breakthrough for a decades-old cold case, 58-year-old Jerry Lewis of Shawsville, Virginia, has been recently indicted and arraigned for the 1992 murder of 15-year-old Nadine Slade in Far Rockaway, New York.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that a grand jury indicted Lewis on a charge of second-degree murder. He was arraigned in Queens Supreme Court and is set to return to court on June 7. If convicted, Lewis faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
On May 7, 1992, Slade was found naked and strangled with her own bra in a bathroom shared by two apartments in her multi-family home. Lewis and others had been in the adjoining apartment, which used the same bathroom, the night before the murder. It is believed that Lewis and Slade did not know each other.
The breakthrough in the case came when the New York City Medical Examiner’s office tested DNA found under the victim’s preserved fingernail clippings. The test results linked Lewis to the crime. The investigation also included multiple witness interviews and extensive searches of records.
District Attorney Katz expressed hope that the resolution of this case will bring closure and some measure of solace to Slade’s bereaved mother, who has endured the pain of losing her daughter and not knowing who committed the crime for over 30 years.