Updated: 6:33 PM EDT Jul 28, 2021
Ed Weinstock
Reporter
Pennsylvania State Police made an arrest in a 1987 homicide. It was a killing for which an innocent man was originally convicted. Christopher Speelman has been charged with robbery, rape and homicide in the 1987 killing of 85-year-old Edna Laughman. Laughman was found dead in her home on Aug. 13. In court documents, state police said the home appeared to have been ransacked and multiple cigarette butts were found, even though Laughman was not a smoker. Police initially arrested Edna's distant relative, Barry Laughman, for the crime. He was convicted and served 16 years in prison. He was released after DNA showed he was not the killer. State police said the same DNA that cleared Laughman has now connected Speelman to the crimes."The investigation revealed that he indicated he went into her home to steal from Edna, that she was home when he was there, that he attacked her, that he overcame her and that he suffocated her and killed her, and then sexually assaulted her," Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett said. DNA evidenceIn August of 2018, DNA from the Laughman homicide scene was sent to Parabon Nanolabs for genetic analysis. The genetic genealogy was used to identify the suspect, Christopher Speelman. It was also found that Speelman had lived next door to Laughman for 10 years before she was killed. In May of this year, a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper talked to Speelman about the killing and asked for a DNA sample."The defendant advised he did not know that the victim had been murdered or that Barry Laughman had initially been arrested for the murder. He further related that he had never had a sexual relationship with the victim and that he was a chronic smoker. We explained the DNA testing and genealogy analysis that was being done in an attempt to help identify the unknown actor. We further explained that due to this testing, it was found that the actor was somehow related to him. Upon being asked, he agreed to provide his DNA," the affidavit of probable cause states.According to the document, the trooper said while talking to Speelman, he became "visibly shaken" and said several times that he was "worked up."Police collected the DNA sample and said it matched the DNA sample from the Laughman homicide.Speelman is now charged with the following:Criminal homicideForcible rapeRobberyBurglarySinnett said after Speelman was arrested, he admitted that he killed Laughman and that he acted alone.