ROCK HILL, S.C. — Paul Ray Craig Jr., 51, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the stabbing death of Walter Faile, who was found dead in his Hutchinson Street apartment on July 7, 2016.
Faile was discovered with multiple blunt force injuries and stab wounds, prompting an investigation that eventually designated the case as a cold case due to a lack of leads over the years.
Detectives said they were able to reexamine evidence from the original scene using new technology. That helped them identify a fingerprint and eventually a suspect.
Police say tips, technology and diligence led to success in this case.
“Technology in all of society has advanced, but also in crime solving, so we have to use that when we have the opportunities,” Lt. Michael Chavis with the Rock Hill Police Department said.
Craig’s name had come up as a suspect, and detectives also had plenty of evidence.
“And so, what we found is we had items that we believe were used as a weapon to strike our victim,” Chavis said.
Technology has improved in 10 years.
“Those items were retested for fingerprints and DNA,” Chavis said. “And what we have done is we have been able to match fingerprints and DNA with our suspect in this case.”
The motive is unclear.
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