FL FL - Ronald Eugène Richards, 75, charged for 1980 rape and murder of Evelyn Marie Fisher-Bamforth - 12/5/22

[Bishop Black]

Florida Man Arrested for Rape and Murder of Nurse in 1980: 'We Are One Step Closer To Justice'

Evelyn Marie Fisher-Bamforth was sexually assaulted and killed on January 22, 1980

people.com

Evelyn Marie Fisher-Bamforth was relaxing at her Miramar, Fla., home after work on January 22, 1980 when an intruder broke in, sexually assaulted her and killed her.

For more than four decades, the murder has gone frustratingly unsolved. Authorities later suspected that a neighbor had killed Fisher-Bamforth, who lived with her husband and worked as a licensed psychiatric nurse. At the time, authorities said they had no concrete evidence to tie the suspect to the crime.

But now, due to advances in DNA technology, authorities have made an arrest and have finally charged the neighbor with sexual battery and murder.

Ronald Eugène Richards, now 75, is in prison in Ohio after being convicted of an unrelated rape and attempted murder. He has now been charged with killing Fisher-Bamforth, as well. He has not yet entered a plea and it's unclear if he has an attorney authorized to speak on his behalf.

 

[dotr]

by Grethel Aguila
Fri, April 14, 2023 rbbm

A woman was raped and murdered four decades ago. Now, a man is behind bars in Broward

New DNA technology may have helped crack Miramar police’s oldest cold case

ca.sports.yahoo.com

''Ronald Eugene Richards was booked Tuesday into the Broward main jail on first-degree murder and sexual battery charges after being indicted by a grand jury back in December. The 75-year-old was already locked up in Ohio at the time when he was extradited to South Florida.

Richards, who lived in the same mobile home community as Fisher-Bamforth, was originally a suspect in the 1980 murder, Miramar homicide detective Jonathan Zeller told the Miami Herald. However, there wasn’t enough evidence at the time to make an arrest.

Detectives zeroed in on Richards back in the ‘80s when investigators from Volusia County phoned them about Richards being a suspect in a brutal rape and attempted murder. When questioned by Miramar detectives, Richards denied knowing Fisher-Bamforth or ever visiting her.''

“It doesn’t matter if it happened in 1980,” he added. “No one can hide anymore with DNA technology.”

''The case also shows that no matter how much time passed by, Fisher-Bamforth wasn’t forgotten.

Widower John Bamforth, 77, recounted his life with “Ev” or “Evie,” as he called Fisher-Bamforth, after the indictment in December. He told reporters how they met at a bar in Canada, near a hospital where Fisher-Bamforth worked. The couple moved to the Cayman Islands and later to South Florida.

Bamforth’s voice cracked as he spoke about his wife while sniffling. His wife’s death, he said, changed the way he looked at life. He’s no longer the trusting person he used to be.

“I don’t believe in this closure thing,” Bamforth told reporters. “One never has closure... But certainly justice for Evelyn is the most important.”