ARLINGTON, Va. — Two men have been charged in a homicide more than two decades after it happened, according to the Arlington County Police Department's Cold Case Unit.
James Christopher Johnson, 59, of Alexandria, Virginia, and Bobby Joe Leonard, 53, have been charged in relation to the 1998 homicide of Andrea Cincotta in the Colonial Village neighborhood.
On August 21, 1998, Cincotta, 52, was found dead inside the bedroom of the apartment she shared with Johnson in the 1700 block of N. Rhodes Street. Police say there was no forced entry to the home and no obvious signs of a struggle. The medical examiner's office ruled her death a homicide.
Arlington's cold case unit took a fresh look at the unsolved case in 2013. Looking over cold case files, crime scene evidence, lab results and additional witness interviews.
Recently, in collaboration with the Office of the Commonwealth's Attorney, indictments were presented to and returned by a grand jury, police said.
“The passage of time does not diminish the need for answers and accountability in this senseless crime that took Andrea’s life,” said Chief of Police Andy Penn. “The indictments are the culmination of years of dedicated investigative work in our ongoing pursuit of justice on behalf of Andrea and her family.”
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective R. Ortiz at 703-228-7402 or Rortiz@arlingtonva.us. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
RELATED: Innocence Project says answers to cold case Shenandoah murders may sit buried in FBI evidence locker
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