Mesa Police: 33-year-old cold case solved

A man suspected of strangling a Mesa woman 33 years ago is now in custody.

In July of 1982, Ernestine Brewer was strangled at her home in Mesa. She had three young children at the time. The case went cold, due to a lack of evidence.

“No homicide is too old for us to re-evaluate and no homicide is use additional scientific measures and good old detective work in bringing this suspect to justice,” said Mesa Police Chief John Meza.

DNA revived the cold case in 2006, but it wasn’t until 2013 that Mesa detectives, along with the Maricopa County Attorney’s office, put the final pieces together.

Assistant Chief of Police Michael Dvorak said closing a case like this for this family brought a sense of closure that you get to know what happened and who is responsible that cannot be measured.

“We will never forget these cases and we will continue to look at them with our latest technology and our resources to continue to see if we can resolve them,” Dvorak said, “you know not only for the victims, but also to ensure those are held accountable for their actions.”

The suspect, Marion “Homer” Alec Parmar was located and arrested in Oklahoma on August 5, 2015. He will be extradited to Arizona on a charge of first degree murder.

Related

Phoenix temps could climb to 115 as extreme heat warning takes effect, NWS saysEndangered right whales could wait almost a decade for new US protectionsJay Feely and potential CD-1 opponent Amish Shah have history with the New York JetsLouisiana Attorney General Murrill says prosecutor dropped all felony charges against herJournalists urge correspondents’ association to stand up to Trump at rescheduled press dinnerIncumbents getting swept in Gilbert Town Council election