PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department has made an arrest in a decades-old cold case out of Maryvale.
On Thursday, authorities announced that 70-year-old Alfred Earl Green has been arrested for the 1986 murder of 18-year-old Lachelle "Shelly" Waite.
"She just finished high school at Maryvale High, so this is a local kid growing up that her life was cut way too short," said Sgt. Brian Bower with Phoenix Police.
Police say Waite was found dead in her home near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road on January 16, 1986. The cause of death was determined to be strangulation.
During an investigation, detectives did not find any sign of forced entry into the home and believed she knew the suspect.
"The detective has been able to identify that the suspect in this case was known to the victim through the victim's boyfriend at the time," said Sgt. Bower.
Personal property was also discovered to have been stolen from the home during the time of the murder.
Phoenix PD officials say detectives had a strong lead at the time but did not have enough evidence to make an arrest and the case went cold.
In 2016, Phoenix police's cold case unit reviewed the investigation and identified a piece of evidence collected at the scene that could not be processed at the time of the murder. The evidence was processed, and after additional advancements in technology, it was finally submitted for advanced DNA testing in 2022.
With the new testing, detectives were able to identify Green as the suspect in the case.
Green has been behind bars for decades, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry. Phoenix Police said he was serving time for another unrelated Phoenix murder. The ADCRR's website said he was sentenced to 25 years to Life, but ABC15 is reaching out to learn the specifics of his sentence.
Green appeared in front of a judge on Thursday for his initial appearance, where prosecutors claimed that he stole jewelry and a gun and "sold them immediately after he murder."
Green responded to the charges and allegations in court.
"I know she did a lot of lying," said Green.
The 70-year-old also said that he didn't care what the bond amount was.
He will be back in court next week for his arraignment. At this time, police said a motive is still under investigation.
In Waite's case, Green is charged with first-degree murder after detectives submitted the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
ABC15 did speak with Waite's family briefly Friday, but they are asking for privacy at this time.
Check out more cold case coverage from ABC15's series Arizona Crime Uncovered in the player below:
