Cold case of murder for 30 years is now solved as Barry Lee Whelpley got arrested for the brutal murder of Julie Ann Hanson whom he stabbed for more than 30 times in 1972
By Edward Barbacena
NAPERVILLE, -- A man was arrested and charged Friday morning for the 1972 Naperville murder of 15-year-old Julie Ann Hanson.
Hanson's body was found in a cornfield near 87th Street and Modaff Road almost 50 years ago, on July 8, 1972.
Investigators said she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed 36 times. She was last seen leaving her home on a bike, police said.
"She was very personable, a very sweet girl," said Peggy Thompson, Hanson's neighbor. "She was only a couple of years older than us, but she babysat some of the kids in the neighborhood."
Barry Lee Whelpley, 76, of Mounds View, Minn., was arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the crime, according to Naperville Police Chief Robert Marshall and Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow. He appeared in court Friday following extradition. Whelpley's bond was set at $10 million.
Police said DNA was the key to identifying Whelpley as a suspect. As a 27-year-old he lived about a mile from Hanson. One of his relatives apparently used a commercial DNA service to explore family history, which helped Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick link him to a small sample of DNA from the crime scene. Naperville police took it from there.
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