Nearly 40 years after a sordid murder in a subway entrance, British police managed to catch the suspected killer on Sunday, following a final appeal for information last week.
“This arrest comes just four days after our last appeal and I would like to thank everyone who has already come forward with information. “However, we still need to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the events,” Neil John, chief detective at London’s Metropolitan Police, said on Sunday, according to The Guardian.
Police on Sunday handcuffed a 58-year-old man suspected of murdering 45-year-old Anthony Littler, who was beaten to death as he exited a subway station in May 1984, according to reports.
Sunday's arrest came just days after police appealed to the public to shed light on the crime, which remains unsolved nearly 40 years later.
“Things change. “People's loyalty changes, their way of thinking and their attitude to different things changes significantly,” Neil John optimistically hoped on Wednesday, according to the BBC.
Because the person who called for help that evening had never agreed to meet with the police. Two days earlier, according to police, another man was attacked in the same alley by two young men with a baseball bat.
But nearly four decades after the incident, the crime still haunts the victim's family, who still hope for answers.
“It is heartbreaking for our family that this happened to him. After all this time, we hope this new investigation will put those responsible behind bars. She won't bring Anthony back, but she will allow us to turn the tide,” said the victim's cousin, Tricia McClure, according to British media.
The suspect arrested on Sunday was released on bail until January pending further investigation.