92-year-old man arrested and found guilty of murdering woman born 133 years ago due to new DNA evidence

Ryland Headley was arrested in November 2024 (Sky News)

In November 2024, Headley was arrested and later went to trial.

The court heard how Headley had spent time behind bars for committing two other rapes around a decade after Louisa’s murder, prompting prosecutor Anna Vigars KC to tell the jury that Headley had a ‘tendency’ to carry out the kind of behavior seen surrounding Louisa’s death.

“In other words, to break into people’s homes at night and, in some cases, to target an elderly woman living alone, to have sex with her despite her attempts to fend him off, and to threaten violence,” she said.

Following the trial, the jury found Headley guilty on both the rape and murder charges.

DI Marchant said the result showed the importance of diving back in to cold cases, saying: “I think this investigation shows you should never give up.”