DNA match leads to conviction in 1992 cold case murder of 15-year-old Queens girl
Queens, NY – A Virginia man has been found guilty in the decades-old murder of a 15-year-old girl who was strangled in her Far Rockaway home in 1992, bringing long-awaited justice to a family that spent nearly 34 years without answers.
Nadine Slade was discovered dead in the bathroom of her home on May 7, 1992, with a bra tightly wrapped around her neck. The case remained unsolved for more than three decades, despite repeated efforts to identify her killer.
In 2022, investigators from the NYPD Cold Case Squad and the Queens District Attorney’s Cold Case Unit requested advanced DNA testing on evidence preserved from the original investigation—specifically, fingernail clippings taken from the victim. The updated forensic analysis yielded a DNA profile that matched a man now living in Virginia.
The man, whose name has not yet been released pending sentencing procedures, was arrested and later convicted of murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced next month and faces 25 years to life in prison.
Officials emphasized that the successful conviction is a result of persistent investigative work and advances in DNA technology. Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, whose office led the renewed probe, reaffirmed her office’s commitment to pursuing justice in cold cases, regardless of how much time has passed.
The conviction marks a milestone in one of the borough’s oldest unsolved homicides and closes a painful chapter for the Slade family, who waited over three decades for justice to be served.
Key Points
- A Virginia man was convicted in the 1992 murder of 15-year-old Nadine Slade in Far Rockaway
- New DNA testing of fingernail clippings linked the defendant to the crime after 30 years
- He faces 25 years to life in prison at sentencing next month
