A DJ's chewing gum got him arrested for a 25-year-old murder


A DJ gig turned undercover operation just shook up a 25-year-old murder case.
Pennsylvania police on Monday arrested 49-year-old wedding DJ Raymond Rowe for the murder of elementary school teacher Christy Mirack, per The Washington Post. Rowe was running an elementary school party when undercover agents snagged his chewing gum and water bottle, tested the recovered DNA, and connected him with the murder.
Mirack was found raped and strangled in her home days before Christmas in 1992, says NBC News. Rowe, also known as DJ Freez, isn't facing any criminal counts yet, but the area's district attorney told the Post he expects to levy a first-degree murder charge.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This arrest follows a wave of cold cases heating up, like when the suspected Golden State Killer was arrested in late April thanks to DNA evidence. Police knew to test Rowe because a close relative submitted DNA to a public genealogy database. The same genetic testing company, Parabon NanoLabs, actually matched up DNA in both this and the Golden State case, per WGAL.
But even though this news seems hopeful, it also raises the privacy questions of who can get ahold of DNA that's uploaded online — and what they can do with it. Read more about the case at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bail
Speed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambush
Speed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrial
Speed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside home
speed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confession
speed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulder
speed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC parade
speed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack