DNA evidence links man to the killing of two women 13 years ago, PA police say
A 47-year-old man has been arrested in the killing of two women 13 years ago in Pennsylvania, prosecutors said.
DNA evidence led to the arrest, police said in the affidavit of probable cause.
Police arrested Morico Johnson in Newport News, Virginia, on two counts of criminal homicide, according to a May 26 news release from the Huntingdon County District Attorney’s Office in Pennsylvania.
Christine McWhorter and her aunt Beatrice Daniels were killed on Jan. 3, 2009, in Shirley Township and died from gunshot wounds to the head, according to the news release and The Patriot-News.
McWhorter’s two young children, ages 4 months and 4 years, were in the apartment when the women were killed, the outlet reported.
Investigators found blood on their staircase and near their main door, police said.
When the blood was sent for analysis, DNA results linked it to an “unidentified male,” police said.
Then that DNA sample was sent to Parabon Laboratories in March 2016, which produced a report describing ancestry, hair color, skin color, eye color and freckling, police said.
Authorities had the DNA sent for additional testing two years later.
This genetic genealogy report identified Johnson as a potential match in 2018, police said.
Johnson submitted a DNA sample to police in 2019, and testing concluded in 2020 that the blood found at the women’s apartment matched his DNA, police said.
A warrant was issued for Johnson’s arrest on Monday, May 23 — 13 years after the women were killed.
His arrest was announced three days later.
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 7:48 PM with the headline "DNA evidence links man to the killing of two women 13 years ago, PA police say."
