Florida man’s job application leads to his arrest in 1998 cold case murder
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Florida man scored a new job in January, but he ended up behind bars two months later in connection with a 1998 cold case murder - thanks to his successful application.
Todd Barket, 51, was arrested Wednesday on a first-degree murder charge after authorities linked his fingerprints to the murder of Sondra Better, Delray Beach police said. The 68-year-old woman was working at a consignment shop when she was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in August 1998, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
“Our detectives worked years trying to find the killer in this case,” Acting Delray Beach Police Chief Javaro Sims said in a news conference Wednesday. “We had fingerprints, we had blood, we even had a possible description from a witness. But the person responsible for this heinous case seemed to just disappear.”
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But in January, Barket underwent a background check while applying for a job with a fire and water cleanup company. He submitted his fingerprints that match those taken from the 1998 crime scene and placed in a national database.
Detectives and Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents then tracked him down and began monitoring him. Police later obtained Barket's DNA — through unclear methods — and it was matched on Tuesday with DNA from the crime scene.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barket was 29 years old at the time of the murder and matched the description witnesses gave after the slaying, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Police said he was able to elude authorities because he had no contact with law enforcement.
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“He has had no contact with law enforcement, getting arrested or anything,” Capt. John Crane-Baker said. “He had a minimal criminal history, mostly traffic citations. So he flew under the radar, even for 26 years before this occurred. It was quite surprising.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It took us 20 years,” Sims said. “20 years is a long time to want and ask for justice for a loved one.”
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Barket was ordered to be held without bond on Wednesday. The motive behind the slaying is unclear.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.