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Pastimes : Murder Mystery: Who Killed Yale Student Suzanne Jovin? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeffrey S. Mitchell who wrote (808)	6/25/2000 12:44:00 AM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1397

Re: 6/24/00 - DNA case built on Serra suspect DNA case built on Serra suspect By JoAnne Viviano, Register Staff June 24, 2000 NEW HAVEN ? It was one year ago that police officials handcuffed Edward R. Grant as he worked on a car outside his Waterbury home and accused him of slaying a 21-year-old woman more than two decades earlier. Grant, 57, is the state?s fourth suspect in the murder of Concetta "Penney" Serra. Serra?s body, barefoot and wearing a blue dress, was found July 16, 1973, at the bottom of a 10th-floor stairwell in the Temple Street parking garage. She suffered a stab wound to the heart. Today, a year after Grant told reporters, "I never heard of this young lady before," the car painter continues to maintain his innocence. The state has gathered its evidence and, per state statute, plans to hand over copies of that evidence to the defense. State officials said that step should be completed by the end of next week. While officials cannot comment on the evidence, it includes a voluminous book of DNA test results. Once the information is shared, lawyers can begin to discuss the case, its merits and when it will move to trial. Rosemary Serra, 43, the slain woman?s younger sister, said Friday she is confident in the state?s case and comfortable with the way prosecutors have handled the investigation. She said she is looking forward to closure after so many years. The women?s father, John Serra, searched for his daughter?s killer and prodded investigators until his death in November 1998. Grant?s arrest came on John Serra?s birthday. Rosemary Serra complimented the efforts of New Haven Assistant State?s Attorney James G. Clark and Deputy Chief State?s Attorney Christopher Morano. "I?m thrilled that they are the ones representing my sister," she said. Grant is represented by New Haven?s top public defender, Thomas J. Ullmann, with assistant public defenders Brian S. Carlow and Beth A. Merkin. Because of an ongoing gag order in the case, Grant, lawyers and others involved are not permitted to comment. Ullmann expressed concern state officials were releasing information on sharing evidence. Last year, Ullmann called the state?s case weak, referring to Grant as "caught up in something he has no knowledge about." Grant remained jailed for more than two months until he posted a $500,000 bond through a local bail bondsman. An affidavit supporting the arrest warrant shows blood covered the walls, floors, stairs and railings where Serra was found. Bloodstains were found on other levels of the garage and on a handkerchief. The handkerchief lay next to keys to the 1972 Buick Electra that Serra drove that day. It was found on level eight, with blood on both the interior and exterior, the affidavit says. Blood also was found on tissues and a tissue box in the vehicle. In 1997, following Grant?s arrest on a domestic violence charge, investigators discovered his fingerprint matched one found on the tissue box. DNA blood tests link Grant to stains found inside the car, on a tissue and on the handkerchief, the affidavit says. Witnesses have told police they saw a man chasing a woman in the garage away from the Electra toward a stairwell, according to the affidavit. One witness said he heard a long scream, after which both said the man returned to the vehicle carrying a shiny object. Another witness claims to have seen a man driving an Electra erratically in the garage before entering a stairwell. Grant is the fourth suspect and the second man arrested. Serra?s boyfriend, Philip DeLieto, was dropped as a suspect after witnesses said he was in another area at the time and blood evidence ruled him out as the killer. He was never charged. In 1984, Anthony Golino was arrested, but the charge was dismissed nearly three years later. Investigators discovered on the eve of his trial that he could not be the killer after blood evidence eliminated him as a suspect. Police attempted to arrest a third suspect, Seman Topciu, a restaurant worker and former patient of the doctor for whom Serra worked in 1994 and 1995. But a judge refused to sign arrest warrants. Charges were dropped because fingerprint evidence was inconsistent, and 1998 and 1999 DNA tests excluded him as the killer. ¸New Haven Register 2000 zwire.com