'Landmark case': DNA evidence leads to conviction in woman's 1987 rape
New DNA evidence leads to conviction in 1987 rape cold case
A man has been convicted in the 1987 abduction and rape of a 50-year-old woman that had gone unsolved for more than three decades. The use of genetic genealogy helped secure the conviction.
PRINCE WILLIAM CO., Va. - A man has been convicted in the 1987 abduction and rape of a 50-year-old woman that had gone unsolved for more than three decades.
DNA evidence helped the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney secure a guilty verdict in the trial of 54-year-old Russell Marubbio.
The prosecutors say the Florida man abducted his victim from her job at a gas station and violently raped her.
A brutal attack
The backstory:
Prosecutors say that on Dec. 19, 1987, the victim was working at a Chevron gas station on Jefferson Davis Highway in Woodbridge.
The victim went to use the restroom which was located outside of the building. Authorities say after she went into the bathroom, Marubbio went in with a knife, taped her head and hands and raped her. He did not know the victim and the attack was at random.
Police were called to the scene and evidence was collected. A Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK) was also collected from the victim at the hospital the next day.
At the time, a male DNA profile was developed using the DNA collected, but no match for the DNA was found and the case was cold.
A fresh look at the evidence
New team gets to work:
In 2019, a detective with the Cold Case Unit began re-examining the case. A team of investigators resubmitted items of physical evidence that were seized in 1987 to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science for modern DNA testing to see if additional leads could be developed and DFS was able to develop a male DNA profile from the kit.
Detectives also sent another piece of evidence to Marshall University Forensic Science Center to extract information for genetic genealogy analysis.
The analysis results came back to twins, John Arthur Marubbio and Russell Anthony, both residents of Florida.
With assistance from Florida authorities, detectives obtained swabs from both brothers to compare their individual DNA to the profile developed from the evidence.
Their individual DNA matched the evidence obtained from the crime scene but investigators could not differentiate between the two identical twins.
A genetic challenge
Dig deeper:
In August 2022, the police department gave their evidence to Parabon NanoLabs to try to solve this rare case involving identical twin suspects.
This required a deeper look, but Parabon provided a solution. According to the lab, while identical twins start with the same DNA, rare "somatic mutations" an arise after the twins split, creating subtle genetic differences between them. The lab was able to identify unique mutations in each twin.
After comparing the DNA evidence, Parabon conclusively identified Russell Marubbio as the twin whose DNA was present at the crime scene.
The results were admitted as evidence in court, leading to Marubbio’s arrest and conviction.
A historic moment
What they're saying:
"This landmark case marks the first successful admission and application of this technique in a U.S. court, overcoming challenges that have long prevented DNA identification of identical twins," the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office said.
"This conviction demonstrates the commitment of both our office and the Prince William County Police Department to ensuring that, no matter how much time has passed, we will fight together to seek justice for victims," Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth said in a statement. "This was a thirty-eight-year-old rape case that had long been forgotten about by everyone except the victim who has had to live with the fear and pain of having been raped, and without any closure on this case until now."
Marubbio was arrested on June 23, 2023 and was convicted on Aug. 21.
He had been out on bond throughout his trial, but following his conviction Marubbio’s bond was revoked and he was taken into custody.
His sentencing is set for Nov. 7.