Nearly three decades after a young woman was brutally killed and left in a drainage ditch, Los Angeles prosecutors announced charges in a long-unsolved murder that authorities say was cracked through DNA evidence, as reported by The New York Post.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Brian Walton, 63, has been charged in the 1996 killing of Claudia Guevara, who was 23 years old at the time of her death.

Guevara disappeared in February 1996 after being dropped off at a bus stop in El Monte, according to prosecutors. Her nude body was discovered the following day in a drainage ditch.

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Investigators determined that she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed in the neck.

Justice for Claudia Guevara https://t.co/mzF34POCsL

— Koke (@_Kokito___) February 10, 2026

For decades, the case remained unsolved. Authorities now say modern DNA analysis linked Walton to the crime. Prosecutors stated that Walton allegedly did not know Guevara.

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Walton has been charged with one count of murder. The charge includes special circumstance allegations of murder during the commission of a rape and murder during the commission of sodomy.

Those enhancements significantly increase potential penalties if he is convicted.

Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the arrest brought long-awaited answers to Guevara’s family.

“The victim’s family has waited for an agonizing 30 years to get that call to let them know their loved one’s killer had been found and charged,” Hochman said.

“While this was classified as a cold case, investigators and prosecutors never stopped in their relentless pursuit of justice, reaffirming our commitment to holding people accountable for the crimes they are accused of committing.”

Prosecutors said the case was revisited as forensic technology improved, allowing investigators to test and analyze evidence that was unavailable or less advanced in the 1990s.

The DNA match ultimately led authorities to Walton and resulted in the filing of charges nearly 30 years after the crime.

Walton is currently facing the most serious penalties available under California law. If convicted on all counts and special circumstance allegations, he could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors also said the death penalty remains a possible outcome, though they noted that a final decision on whether to seek capital punishment will be made later.

The arrest underscores the continued focus on unsolved violent crimes in Los Angeles County, where law enforcement agencies have increasingly relied on forensic breakthroughs to reopen cold cases.

Officials emphasized that the passage of time does not diminish accountability for violent offenses.

No trial date has yet been announced, and Walton is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

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