CRIME
Cold Case Murder Suspect Identified By DNA Kills Himself Before Arrest
Austin Police Department
Police in Texas used DNA to identify the suspect in a 1994 homicide, but he killed himself before he could be arrested, authorities said Thursday.
The Austin Police Department said Kenneth Wayne Robbins was found dead inside his work truck on Sept. 13, 2023, in Weatherford, Texas, less than a week after detectives executed a search warrant for his DNA.
According to police, DNA confirmed Robbins was a match for DNA found at the scene of the 1994 killing.
On May 12, 1994, Bert Allen Mann was found stabbed to death in his home. Evidence suggested a suspect forced entry into the rear sliding glass door of the home, and was discovered by Mann when he returned home from work. There was evidence of a struggle near the front door, and the suspect bled inside the home.
More than 40 persons of interest were considered over the course of a years-long investigation, police said. In 2005, blood from the scene was tested for DNA and entered into Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), but no match was found.
In March of 2023, the DNA profile was sent to Bode Technology for Forensic Genetic Genealogy in the hope of linking the sample to familial DNA. In June, the company identified Robbins as a possible suspect, and he had not been previously considered by investigators.
According to police, autopsy results revealed that Robbins took his own life.
TMX contributed to this article.
