Son of victim in cold case speaks out about arrest - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

Son of victim in cold case speaks out about arrest

David Marrett, 70, never thought police would catch his mother's suspected killer.

"I'm very surprised … obviously thankful," Marrett said.

More than two decades ago, he and his wife had to witness the unimaginable.

"My wife was the one that first saw her in the bedroom, and then I was eventually led into the bedroom and briefly had to see her body … which was shocking," said Marrett.

In 1991, Marrett's mother, Myrtle Marrett, was found in her Union Street apartment complex in Springfield. Police said she had been severely beaten, and there was evidence that she had been sexually assaulted. No arrests had been made until now.

On Tuesday, Faustino Diaz Jr., 54, was arraigned at Springfield District Court for the murder and aggravated rape of 90-year-old Myrtle Marrett. Diaz had been a maintenance worker at the apartment complex Myrtle Marrett lived in at the time.

Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said police used crime scene DNA to track down Diaz.

"In this case, there was a DNA match. As police developed information, they approached individuals and they asked them to give samples … from a saliva sample to develop their DNA profile that we were able to lift from fluid evidence at the scene," Mastroianni said.

The judge ruled that Diaz be held without the right to bail.

His next court date has been scheduled for Feb. 21.

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