After nearly three decades, the curtain has quietly fallen on a 1998 cold case that left Raleigh grappling with the loss of one of its own. In a statement reported by CBS17, the Raleigh Police Department confirmed the arrest of a suspect in the fatal stabbing case of 36-year-old Bernard Walker, which occurred on December 12, 1998. Walker, found with multiple stab wounds on Gaston Street, later succumbed to his injuries.
While details around the arrest have been sparse, the linchpin seems to have been advancements in forensic technology. As ABC11 notes, a palm print database rolled out by the City-County Bureau of Identification in 2007 allowed authorities to match a print from the crime scene, leading to an arrest warrant issued for Eduardo Corona Gonzalez, who is now 45, in January 2008.
Gonzalez had previously been deported on February 12, 2002, complicating the case. It wasn't until November 20th of this year that Raleigh Police were notified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of Gonzalez's detention in Arizona, following a hit in the National Crime Information Center. He was promptly taken into custody.
Yesterday, Raleigh Police took custody of Gonzalez, transferring him back to Raleigh for processing. Despite the years passed, and the borders crossed, the case remained alive in the databases of justice, leading to Gonzalez's apprehension and subsequent booking at the Wake County Detention Center on the murder charge.
