CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — DNA evidence has linked the same suspect to two cold case murders from the 1990s in Camden County. Police made the announcement Thursday after decades of investigation.
The evidence connected Francis Schooley of Mantua Township to the 1993 murder of 24-year-old Marebeth Welsh in Camden and April 1994 murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Persia, who was stabbed to death at her parents’ home in Magnolia.
A photo of Francis Schooley dated circa 1985.Camden County Prosecutors Office.
Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay said the killings back then weren’t thought to be connected, but DNA evidence collected from both scenes matched Schooley, who died of suicide in 2000 at the age of 39.
“These two young women never had the chance to tell their own story. Their lives were taken from them far too soon by the hands of a suspect who went unnamed for 30 years,” said MacAulay. “This means that if Schooley were alive today, he would be charged in both cases.”
Investigators said Schooley had some sort of relationship with Welsh, who was a young mother but estranged from her husband at the time of her death. He had a business relationship with Persia’s father, who owned an auto shop.
Since Schooley was dead, Detective Dennis Convery and his team had to use genealogy and collect samples from his family to make the DNA matches.
“He was not well liked with his own family so they were very cooperative, very forthcoming,” said Convery.
Convery spent 10 years chasing down leads and got choked up when asked how it felt to deliver the news to the families.
“It touches me,” he said.
Welsh’s former husband Daniel said the news caught them by surprise after all these years.
“Couldn’t believe it. We never expected to hear anything,” he said.
Welsh’s daughter Melody was just a baby when her mom was killed.
“There is some closure, I guess is the best word for it,” she said “In terms of how I feel, I’m not sure how to answer that.”
