Police: New DNA Links 1989 MN Murder To Killer

(WCCO) St. Paul In May 1989, Dale Heinold's sister found him repeatedly stabbed and laying face up in his St. Paul apartment. His car was found in Ohio.

The case soon turned cold, but the 55-year-old victim's sister never gave up hope of solving the murder.

A fan of crime shows like Cold Case and CSI, Elaine Invie wondered if modern forensics might help catch the person who murdered her older brother.

"My brother was the type of person who would never hurt anyone, a nice person so whoever this is, he is evil," Invie said.

A few months ago, Invie visited the St. Paul Police Department where she met with Homicide Sgt. Tom Bergren. Bergen agreed to take a fresh look and submit blood evidence in the property room for forensic tests.

The BCA Crime Lab was able to develop a DNA profile which Bergren entered into a national data base of criminal DNA.

The entry soon revealed good news. It matched the DNA of a 60-year-old man behind bars near Columbus, Ohio for a similar killing.

That killing happened in February 1989, just three months before Heinold's murder.

Bergren and his partner, Sgt. Rich Munoz, flew to Ohio to question the suspect, Larry Brigman.

"He said he was going through alcoholic blackouts during that time and he had big gaps in his memory that he didn't recall what he was doing," Bergren said.

The St. Paul investigators also took a fresh DNA from Brigman to help them to put together their case against him.

"We know for sure, two confirmed cases now, very similar fashion," Bergren said.

The investigators suspect Brigman could be involved in other unsolved killings, saying he was a drifter in Ohio and Pennsylvania before he came to Minnesota.

Brigman also told the investigators that he was not really a serial killer. The investigators said Brigman said that out of the blue, and then laughed after he said it.

The case will be presented to prosecutors for charges and the DNA will be entered in a FBI's VICAP database to see if Brigman could be connected to other unsolved killings.

Heinold's sister said she is very grateful St. Paul Police were willing to listen to her and take a fresh look at her brother's case.

"We are all anxious to go to court to see this monster -- because he is a monster -- pay for what he did," Invie said.