"We set out to answer the one question that this detective couldn't, and if you stick with me, I am proud to tell you that at the end of this episode, you'll be one of the first to know who killed Melanie Howell." — Ashley Flowers
"And wouldn't you know it? He got a hit. So in his mind, case closed. Now couldn't prosecute the guy because by 2014, that guy was already dead." — Britt
"The only reason investigators haven't connected him to other cases is because they don't have that DNA." — Martin Mojaro (Cold Case Detective)
This episode of Crime Junkie revisits the perplexing 1976 murder of 22-year-old Melanie Howell. Howell was found stabbed to death in her Los Angeles apartment, mere days before she was set to move. Initial investigations were hampered by a lack of physical evidence and a limited witness description of a man seen fleeing the scene. Her boyfriend, Dale, who had a corroborated alibi, was questioned extensively, as were others close to Melanie, but the case stalled and went cold for decades.
The investigation gained traction nearly 40 years later when new fingerprint technology allowed cold case detective Martin Mojaro to re-examine evidence. A bloody fingerprint found on Melanie's doorknob yielded a match: Paul Bustamante. Further investigation revealed that Bustamante was also responsible for the murder of Elizabeth Wolf, a teacher in Davis, California, occurring over a year after Melanie's death. Both victims were in the process of relocating, a pattern that emerged as a potential indicator of the killer's methodology.
While Bustamante was identified as the perpetrator, he had died in 2006, before his involvement could be officially confirmed and prosecuted in relation to these specific crimes. The episode highlights the frustrations surrounding the case, including why the killer's identity was not immediately shared with the original investigating detective and the lack of information on Bustamante's life and potential other crimes. The hosts encourage listeners and law enforcement to come forward with any information that might connect Bustamante to other unsolved cases.