After 31 years, a Virginia man was indicted and arraigned Monday on a murder charge for the death of a New York girl, the local district attorney’s office announced.
Fifty-eight-year-old Jerry Lewis faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted of the second-degree murder of 15-year-old Nadine Slade, who was found naked and strangled with her bra in her home in 1992, according to a press release from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. (RELATED: ‘He Would Still Be With Us’: Victims Sue Parole Board That Released Violent Criminals Who Allegedly Went On To Kill)
For 31 years, this defendant has eluded justice following the brutal killing of 15-year-old Nadine Slade in Far Rockaway. Thanks to the relentless work of my #ColdCase Unit and @NYPDnews, he is now charged and in custody. https://t.co/ZMYOngknLw
— Queens DA Katz (@QueensDAKatz) May 1, 2023
Lewis and Slade did not know each other. The suspect, however, had been in an adjoining apartment, which shared a bathroom with Slade’s apartment, the night before Slade’s death, according to the press release. Slade’s mother found her daughter’s body in the bathroom.
“Any mother’s worst nightmare is to survive a child. To lose a child in such a horrific way causes unimaginable pain. Not knowing who committed the crime compounds the suffering,” Katz said. “In the end, we hope to achieve justice for Nadine and bring closure and some measure of solace to her bereaved mother.”
New York Police Department (NYPD) and Katz’s office requested a DNA test on Slade’s preserved fingernail clippings, which linked Lewis to the crime. Lewis had been convicted in 2015 of forcible sodomy and was registered as a sex offender with the Virginia State Police in 2021, according to Daily News.
“I really thank God that he’s bringing this to a close,” Slade’s aunt told Daily News. “I am praying for that person. He needs help. I pray for him and for the family.”
Lewis is due back in court on June 7.