BUFFALO, NY – 45 years after he killed a woman inside her Buffalo home, a 63-year-old man was linked to her murder after being arrested for a felony in Oregon. Using DNA, police were able to link John M. Sauberan, 63, of Buffalo to the murder.
He was sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio, according to Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn. As a result, he received a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
After a felony conviction in Oregon, Sauberan’s profile was uploaded to a national database, which linked him to the crime. Prosecutors did not find any evidence that the defendant knew the victim during the investigation.
The defendant entered the victim’s home in the morning of Wednesday, February 8, 1978, which was located in the 100 block of Pooley Place in Buffalo. As soon as the defendant entered Linda Tschari’s house, he repeatedly stabbed her to death.
Later that day, her brother, who lived in the front house of the West Side property, went to check on his sister. The victim was found deceased in the living room.
On October 11, 2022, a jury convicted Sauberan of Murder in the Second Degree (Class “A-I” felony), the only charge in his indictment. After a five-day trial, jurors reached their verdict after three hours of deliberation.