Discarded trash uncaps 41-year-old murder case in ritzy seaside resort town, authorities say: news

Discarded Trash Leads to Arrest in 41-Year-Old Newport Cold Case Murder

Authorities in Rhode Island have cracked a 41-year-old cold case involving the May 1985 homicide of 22-year-old Hillary Hellewell in the historic seaside resort community of Newport. Investigators arrested 61-year-old William Morton after collecting discarded DNA evidence that directly matched samples preserved from the original crime scene.

The 1985 Newport Homicide

On the morning of May 19, 1985, Hellewell’s body was discovered on an Anthony Street sidewalk in Newport. An autopsy revealed she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Despite extensive initial investigations by the Newport Police Department, detectives were unable to identify a suspect, and the case eventually went cold. Evidence recovered from the scene was preserved in police custody, allowing forensic specialists decades later to extract a usable genetic profile.

Genetic Genealogy and the Discarded Water Bottle

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Cold Case Unit and Newport police reopened the investigation using modern investigative genetic genealogy. Testing conducted at an outside laboratory narrowed the profile down to a specific family lineage, eventually identifying William Morton as the primary suspect.

To obtain a definitive reference sample without alerting the suspect, investigators surveilled Morton at an event at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. After Morton discarded an empty water bottle, detectives recovered the item for forensic analysis. The Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory confirmed that DNA extracted from the discarded bottle matched the biological evidence recovered from Hellewell’s clothing in 1985.

Arraignment and Legal Status

Morton was taken into custody and arraigned in Newport County District Court on one count of murder. A judge ordered him held without bail pending future court proceedings. Under United States law, the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.