A Connecticut man is behind bars today, facing charges for a brutal murder committed nearly four decades ago.
On Monday, May 18, 2026, at around 4:17 p.m., police officers in Newington, Connecticut, arrested 66-year-old local resident Charles Berry. He was taken into custody as a fugitive from justice.
The arrest comes after a long-term, coordinated effort between Connecticut authorities and the Virginia Beach Police Department. Virginia Beach investigators hold an active arrest warrant for Berry linking him to the May 1986 murder of 22-year-old Roberta Walls.
Walls was found dead near her workplace almost exactly 40 years ago. At the time, investigators noted clear signs of a violent assault. The case eventually went cold until 2017, when a breakthrough in DNA analysis allowed detectives to identify a specific suspect.
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Following his arrest on Monday, Berry was processed at the Newington Police Department. On Tuesday, May 19, authorities transported him to the New Britain Superior Court for legal proceedings. He officially faces a charge of being a fugitive from justice under statute 54-170.
The Virginia Beach Police Department has scheduled a press conference to share more details about the decades-long investigation and subsequent arrest. The briefing will take place today, Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Virginia Beach Police Headquarters.
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