DNA leads to arrest in 1991 murder case in St. Cloud
The St. Cloud Police Department says a 33-year-old homicide case has finally been solved thanks to DNA evidence.
The case began when the body of 27-year-old Julia Sue Wilbanks was found Sept. 23, 1991 off Neptune Road, about half-mile west of what is now Old Canoe Creek Road. Her death was ruled a homicide, but the investigation never led to any arrests.
That changed Monday when Gene Stuller, 72, of Apopka, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and disturbing a dead body or clothing/article nearby.''
72-year-old man arrested in 1991 St. Cloud cold case murder, police say
A 72-year-old Apopka man was arrested on Monday in connection to the 1991 cold case murder of Julia Sue Wilbanks, according to the St. Cloud Police Department.
''Police said that as genetic science progressed, they submitted DNA from the crime scene to national and public databases, which identified Gene Stuller, 72, as a suspect in March.
“The St. Cloud Police Department is committed to seeking justice for Ms. Wilbanks and her family, as well as other unsolved cases,” St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke said. “As science becomes more advanced, it gives us opportunity to solve cases that couldn’t be solved in the past.”
