Pennsylvania man who murdered lover in 1991 caught after police find her yellow sock that he kept with him
PENNSYLVANIA: For around three decades, the murder of Denise Sharon Kulb was not solved until a pair of yellow socks led to an arrest and closure of the cold case.
Kulb's ex-boyfriend Theodore Dill Donahue, now 52 years old, was arrested by the Philadelphia District Attorney and Pennsylvania State Police. The arrest came after an 'extensive' re-examination on September 3 of 27-year-old Kulb's death. According to District Attorney Larry Krasner, "Twenty-eight years ago, Denise Sharon Kulb was found dead in a remote area in the suburbs, abandoned and discarded."
"She was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a friend. She deserved far better than to be killed and left in a location unknown to those who mourned her," Krasner shared, as reported by Oxygen. Kulb's former flame Donahue had been treated as a suspect in her death for a long time. Discrepancies in his story, witness interviews, and a pair of yellow socks gave enough evidence to arrest him.
Kulb was found dead in a woody and undeveloped cul-de-sac on November 12, 1991. She had been discovered wearing just a sweater though two pairs of pants, a T-shirt, jacket, and one pale yellow sock were found placed on the body. Her death had been ruled as a homicide by investigators from Delaware County.
Just a few days later, the Pennsylvania State Troopers had located a yellow sock seemingly matching the one on the body while searching Donahue's apartment. Decades later, with the use of photo-enhancing technology, the sock was re-examined by investigators who were able to match the pair of yellow socks. Kulb and Donahue had lived together for around two weeks in 1991 though she moved out very quickly.
Donahue had initially shared with the investigators that he had last seen his girlfriend on October 18, 1991, when they had bought crack together. He claimed that the two were then robbed and when he ran to get help, she had vanished. When Donahue was re-interviewed in 2015, his story had changed and he said he last saw Kulb on October 18, 1991, outside a bar.
Her family had also confirmed seeing her the following day on October 19. Her sister had revealed that Kulb had gotten into a fight with Donahue outside a bar where she worked. October 19 was the last day she was seen alive. Donahue was taken into custody on September 3 and now faces charges of murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and false reports to police.