Summary

On April 20, 1982, officers with the East Orange Police Department responded to an apartment at 244 Halsted Street in East Orange, New Jersey. Inside, officers found William Jenkins deceased near his bed. His hands and feet were bound, and he had sustained multiple stab wounds.

Despite investigative efforts, including STR testing and upload to CODIS, the person responsible for Jenkins’ death was not identified, and the case remained unsolved for more than four decades.

In 2024, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office contacted the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit.

In January 2025, the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit, working with the FBI, submitted evidence to Othram’s laboratory in The Woodlands, Texas. At Othram, scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing® to build a comprehensive SNP profile suitable for a forensic genetic genealogy search. The profile was handed over to law enforcement, who worked to develop new investigative leads to narrow the identity of the unknown DNA suspect.

Further investigation identified Larry Burney, formerly of East Orange, as the likely source of the DNA. A DNA reference sample subsequently confirmed that Burney was the source of the unknown male DNA profile.

The New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office subsequently named Burney as the suspect in Jenkins’ murder. Burney died in 2005 while incarcerated at South Woods State Prison where he was serving time for an unrelated case. Anyone with additional information about this case is encouraged to contact the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit at 833-4NJ-COLD. Anonymous tips are accepted.

This case is the second publicly-announced identification where investigators leveraged Othram’s technology. To learn about other cases, visit Othram.com.