The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit, in collaboration with local police departments, has achieved major breakthroughs in two decades-old homicide cases, establishing definitive conclusions in the murders of Cynthia McKenna in 2007 and Debra A. Stone in 1984.
The successful investigations utilized modern forensic technology, meticulous re-interviewing of witnesses, and the unearthing of crucial, long-hidden evidence.
2007 Murder of Cynthia McKenna Solved by Confession Letters and DNA
The 2007 murder of Cynthia McKenna in her North Providence apartment has been definitively solved, concluding that her former romantic partner, Robert J. Corry, Jr., was her killer. McKenna, found unresponsive in her bed on February 21, 2007, died of asphyxiation due to blocked airways.
The initial investigation highlighted a tense relationship between McKenna and Corry, with numerous witnesses and informants detailing their hostile history. Crucially, investigators intercepted letters Corry wrote in late 2007 confessing to the murder. While a handwriting analysis at the time showed a “probable” match, no matching DNA profile was found in the CODIS database.
The renewed 2024 investigation by the NPPD and RIAG Cold Case Unit provided the final, undeniable evidence.
- A forensic document examiner and handwriting analyst confirmed Corry authored the two confession letters.
- In a major technological leap, a Y-STR analysis was performed on DNA from an envelope of one of the letters. This analysis, which compares male family members, produced a profile that matched a direct male relative of Corry. This confirmed Corry sent the letters.
This combination of the confirmed confession letters, corroborated by witness accounts of their relationship history and significant gaps in Corry’s documented whereabouts at the time of the murder, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Corry murdered Cynthia McKenna.
1984 Strangulation of Debra Stone: Informant and Admissions Seal the Case
In a separate victory for justice, the Cold Case Unit has determined that Robert D. Geremia murdered Debra A. Stone, whose body was found submerged in the Narrow River in Narragansett on September 2, 1984. The medical examiner determined her cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation.
Stone was last seen alive visiting Geremia at his Johnston apartment on August 28, 1984.
The RIAG Cold Case Unit and the Narragansett Police Department (NPD) reopened the case in 2023, conducting an exhaustive review of records and interviewing 32 witnesses over 11 months.
- All witness statements regarding the victim and suspect remained remarkably consistent despite the passage of time.
- Investigators developed an informant who witnessed Stone in Geremia’s apartment on August 29th and later helped Geremia move Stone’s body to the Narrow River on August 30th. The informant’s statement was corroborated by evidence from the crime scene.
- A key witness also recounted that Geremia, shortly after the murder, admitted to killing Stone, stating he “had to” because she was stealing from him.
With the medical examiner’s determination of death by strangulation, witness statements corroborated by scene evidence, Geremia’s admission, and the informant’s account of disposing of the body, the Cold Case Unit has established beyond a reasonable doubt that Geremia murdered Debra Stone and determined the Office has probable cause to charge him.
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