ST. CLOUD, Fla. – More than three decades after 27-year-old Julia Sue Wilbanks was found stabbed to death in St. Cloud, police said they’ve solved the cold case using DNA evidence and genetic genealogy.
St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke announced Monday that 72-year-old Gene Stuller has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with Wilbanks’ 1991 death. Investigators say Stuller was living near Wilbanks’ last known residence in Kissimmee at the time of the killing.
Police said Wilbanks, 27, was found dead on Sept. 23, 1991, off Neptune Road, about half a mile west of Kissimmee Park Road, which is now called Old Canoe Creek Road. She had been stabbed 17 times.
In 2012, DNA evidence collected from blood on Wilbanks’ clothing was submitted to a national public DNA database. Investigators later used genealogical analysis to identify familial connections that helped narrow the pool of potential suspects.
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“This marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for a young woman whose life was tragically taken more than three decades ago,” Goerke said during a press conference.
Earlier this year, detectives identified Stuller as a likely suspect. In March, investigators obtained a DNA sample from a discarded straw used by Stuller. Laboratory analysis determined it was 1.9 trillion times more likely the DNA came from Stuller than from an unrelated individual.
“The St. Cloud Police Department will never stop seeking justice. Cold cases are never forgotten,” Goerke said.
Goerke said he hopes the arrest brings some measure of closure to Wilbanks’ family.
Stuller faces charges of second-degree murder and disturbing a dead body or clothing/article nearby.