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Nearly 46 years after two teens were killed, a man has been charged with their murder
Public Safety
Nearly 46 years after two teens were killed, a man has been charged with their murder
By Justin Jouvenal
April 10 at 6:36 PM
The murder scene has been bulldozed. The victims are only seen in grainy black-and-white photos. Their tragedy is largely consigned to faded newspaper clippings: Two young women vacationing in Virginia Beach were brutally slain in 1973.
Janice Pietropola and Lynn Seethaler, both 19, were strangled and shot multiple times in the head, according to an Associated Press report at the time. Their partially clothed bodies were found in their oceanfront rental cottage on a Saturday afternoon.
Now — nearly 46 years later — an 80-year-old man named Ernest Broadnax from the New York City area has been charged with two counts of murder and one of rape in their killings, potentially making it one of the oldest cold cases to be solved in the United States.
Virginia Beach Police Chief James A. Cervera said at a Wednesday news conference that a “strong lead” was developed in the fall of 2018 that was the result of resubmitting evidence for testing and technological advances. He declined to elaborate.
....
Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
Justin Jouvenal covers courts and policing in Fairfax County and across the nation. He joined The Post in 2009. Follow https://twitter.com/jjouvenal
Nearly 46 years after two teens were killed, a man has been charged with their murder
By Justin Jouvenal
April 10 at 6:36 PM
The murder scene has been bulldozed. The victims are only seen in grainy black-and-white photos. Their tragedy is largely consigned to faded newspaper clippings: Two young women vacationing in Virginia Beach were brutally slain in 1973.
Janice Pietropola and Lynn Seethaler, both 19, were strangled and shot multiple times in the head, according to an Associated Press report at the time. Their partially clothed bodies were found in their oceanfront rental cottage on a Saturday afternoon.
Now — nearly 46 years later — an 80-year-old man named Ernest Broadnax from the New York City area has been charged with two counts of murder and one of rape in their killings, potentially making it one of the oldest cold cases to be solved in the United States.
Virginia Beach Police Chief James A. Cervera said at a Wednesday news conference that a “strong lead” was developed in the fall of 2018 that was the result of resubmitting evidence for testing and technological advances. He declined to elaborate.
....
Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
Justin Jouvenal covers courts and policing in Fairfax County and across the nation. He joined The Post in 2009. Follow https://twitter.com/jjouvenal
