Overview
- Southfield police said advanced testing matched a credit card fingerprint and DNA from Deborah Kennedy's fingernails to neighbor Robert Covington.
- Investigators arrested Covington in Illinois on March 29 and extradited him to Michigan on April 8.
- He was arraigned, denied bond, and is being held in the Oakland County Jail with a court date set for April 23.
- Detectives reopened the case in June 2024 and re-tested stored items that 1997 tools could not fully read, including an enhanced latent print and a small DNA sample.
- Police said they believe Covington acted alone and have not identified a motive, while Kennedy's family described relief after almost 30 years.