Hawaii
78-year-old suspect in cold case murder of Waikiki teen dies behind bars
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The 78-year-old suspect accused in the 1972 cold case murder of a teen in Waikiki has died behind bars, said police officials.
Tudor Chirilla was in custody awaiting trial in July.
He was accused of stabbing 19-year-old Nancy Anderson more than 60 times in 1972.
DNA testing eventually linked him to a blood-stained towel recovered from Anderson’s apartment.
The case was originally scheduled to go to trial in February last year but was pushed back.
Chirlla, a former Nevada deputy attorney general, was due back in court this February with a trial date set for July.
He pled not guilty to all charges.
Anderson’s family released a statement Friday saying in part.
We are somewhat disappointed that he did not live to stand trial, yet at the same time we are also at peace knowing it is over. Once he was revealed, he ended up spending the rest of his life behind bars.
His cause of death is pending autopsy results.
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