Authorities announced an arrest in the long-unsolved 1986 murder of 22-year-old Roberta Walls, whose body was found behind Old Donation Elementary School in Virginia Beach; Charles Berry, 66, of Newington, Connecticut, was taken into custody after an investigation involving the Newington Police Department and the Virginia Beach Police Department. The case stretches back to May 15, 1986, and has drawn renewed attention after modern forensic work and cross-jurisdictional cooperation brought a suspect into custody and before a Connecticut court as extradition proceedings begin.
The arrest came Monday in Newington, Connecticut, where Charles Berry was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant tied to the Virginia Beach homicide. Local and Virginia Beach detectives coordinated to make the arrest, showing how these cold investigations can move across state lines when new leads or preserved evidence gets revisited.
Investigators have long known the basics of that terrible night: Walls, 22, was found in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School on May 15, 1986, and police described her condition as “with obvious signs of trauma due to a violent assault.” The violence included multiple stab wounds and sexual assault, details that kept the case in the public eye and drove continued efforts to find whoever was responsible.
Roberta Walls had been working at Bayside Public Library and was last seen leaving the library the night before her body was discovered, according to investigators. The library sits across the street from the field where her body was found, and she was reportedly heading out to meet friends after her shift, a basic plan that turned into a tragedy for her family and the community.
Years passed with few answers, but a turning point arrived in 2017 when authorities obtained funding to re-examine DNA samples preserved from Walls’ body. That work produced a composite image of a person of interest and fed into forensic genealogy and modern DNA analysis techniques that have solved other cold cases in recent years.
After Berry’s arrest, he was taken to New Britain Superior Court in Connecticut as officials in Virginia prepared extradition paperwork to bring him back to face charges tied to the 1986 killing. He was later indicted by a grand jury “in connection to Robert Walls’ [murder],” and Connecticut set bail at $2 million while the legal process unfolds.
The Virginia Beach Police Department and the Newington Police Department have been cited as coordinating partners throughout the recent activity, and questions about the pace of the investigation and the decades between crime and arrest are now part of the public conversation. Families of victims and community members often watch these developments closely, weighing relief that an arrest was made against the frustration of such a long delay in achieving one.
Reporting at the time and statements from investigators make clear the human side of this case: a young woman working in her community, friends waiting for her, and a neighborhood rocked by the violence. The renewed push to use preserved evidence, combined with modern investigative tools and a willingness to re-open cold files, shows how law enforcement approaches can change over time while keeping victims’ names and stories alive.
Legal steps now move forward in Connecticut and Virginia as extradition and prosecution are handled through standard courts and grand jury processes. Meanwhile, the case remains a reminder that old evidence can yield new leads, that cross-jurisdiction cooperation matters, and that families and communities keep searching for answers long after a crime first occurred.
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