A nearly three-decade-long murder case found its reckoning in Suffolk Superior Court as Jamaica Plain resident Brian Keazer was charged with the 1997 murder of Ruth Foster. Keazer, now 50, stood before the court, pleading not guilty to the brutal crime that had left Foster lifeless with thirty-seven stab wounds in her Mattapan apartment. According to a statement made by the Suffolk District Attorney's office, Keazer was held without bail and is scheduled for a pre-trial conference on January 8.
The case, which went cold for years, was rekindled by persistent investigators of Boston Police's unsolved homicides squad and the Suffolk District Attorney's office. They developed information pointing to Keazer, placing him under surveillance. This eventually led to the collection of a spit sample that matched the DNA found under Foster’s nails and on her doorframe – a significant breakthrough in the case after eliminating other suspects, including Foster’s brother, son, and three acquaintances.
In the statement released by the Suffolk District Attorney's office, Hayden hailed the arrest as a virtuous reminder of the power of advanced forensic science and diligent police work. “Brian Keazer may have thought he’d never be made to answer for this horrible act of violence. He thought wrong. We and Boston Police never gave up on justice for Ruth Foster, nor do we on any other unsolved homicide. Unsolved homicides are never considered unsolvable homicides,” Hayden said.
