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Teacher Suspected Of Killing 21-Year-Old After DNA Test Shows New Evidence

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Jorge Velasco Contributor
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A man was arrested after DNA and fingerprint tests linked him to the death of a 21-year-old female in 2005 near Los Angeles.

Fifty-six-year-old Charles Wright was taken into custody Thursday morning after an investigation was launched into the murder of Pertina Epps, who was strangled in late April 2005, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department used new technology when they resubmitted forensic evidence from the crime scene and eventually led to Wright. (RELATED: ICE Program Collects DNA Samples Of Illegal Aliens) 

(MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Wright posted bond shortly after being arrested and was released Thursday evening and law enforcement said they do not believe Wright and Epps knew each other personally. When asked about his charge, Wright said “I’m innocent until proven guilty.” The 56-year-old is scheduled for arraignment in late June, LA Times reported.

Wright, a teacher for the Inglewood Unified School District, told the LA Times authorities found his fingerprints on a purse that Epps owned because he was selling items from his car at the time of the murder. “I didn’t do this […] I used to sell bags and clothes out of my car […] that’s the only possible way it could happen,” Wright said, according to the outlet.

Epps was found strangled on Apr. 26, 2005 near a carport in Gardena, California, less than 15 miles outside of Los Angeles, according to the outlet. The case went cold and the sheriff’s department closed the investigation shortly after.

“At the time of the murder, an extensive investigation was conducted by LASD Homicide detectives and all leads were exhausted,” a statement from the Sheriff’s office read.