MELBOURNE, Fla. - It was an emotional day for both the family of Wendy Jerome - - and the investigators who didn't give up on her case.The 14-year-old was raped and fatally beaten on Thanksgiving night in 1984 in Rochester, New York.On Friday, police announced they arrested 56-year-old Timothy Williams of Melbourne, Florida.DNA evidence was used to catch the suspect, police say, bringing closure to the teen's family.MORE NEWS: Police: Elderly man beaten in Winter Park over social distancing request"It's over.
It's finally over," her family said during a tearful exchange of hugs.AdvertisementIt was an arrest the family had been waiting more than 35 years for.Police say this is one of the first local cases in which they used DNA testing to.