A decades-old cold case that haunted the Mesa community has finally come to a close as Thomas David Cox, age 60, is sentenced to life in prison for the murder and assault of two Mesa women, reports FOX 10 Phoenix. After entering a guilty plea, Cox faces life behind bars with the possibility of parole after 25 years for the 1989 murder of 22-year-old Amy Morse, as well as a consecutive 10-year sentence for the aggravated assault of another woman over a year later.
The long-delayed justice stems from a series of investigative advancements that finally managed to link Cox to the crimes. Nearly 35 years ago, Morse was found dead in her apartment following a no-show at work; she had been beaten and strangulated with an electrical cord. Over a year later, a 23-year-old single mother suffered a sexual assault at the same apartment complex. A crime lab connected the DNA from both crimes in 2002 but could not place a name to the DNA until just recently when advanced testing techniques allowed to finally pinpoint Cox as the perpetrator.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell highlighted the painstaking wait that the victims' families endured. "One of the most agonizing aspects of cold cases is the long uncertainty endured by victims and their families," she said, according to a statement obtained by FOX 10 Phoenix. Overshadowing proceedings is the harrowing detail that Cox lived out his life while his victims and their families were left in the lurch, a fact Mitchell deems "only appropriate" that Cox's remaining years be spent confined.
Arrested in Colorado, where he had moved on with his life, Cox had not previously been identified as a suspect in these cases. However, law enforcement officials pieced together that Cox's mother lived adjacent to Morse, establishing proximity that contributed to the eventual resolution of the crimes. "His DNA matched samples collected from both crime scenes and his palm matched a print taken from the second victim’s apartment," detailed the Maricopa County Attorney's Office in a statement featured by AZ Family. The breakthrough in the cold case was propelled by federal funding under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative that has allowed to rigorously test backlogged DNA samples.
The anguish of the families and the community oscillated over decades but now finds solace in the finality of justice served. Cox's conviction underscores the persistent efforts of the criminal justice system to seek closure for the heinous acts, regardless of the passage of time, assuring that even the coldest cases can eventually turn red-hot with the relentless pursuit of truth.
