Watch CBS News

Mississippi Man Guilty In Palm Beach Cold Case Murder

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) — Forensic evidence helped convict a Mississippi man in a decades old unsolved murder in Palm Beach County.

Dana Fader, 27, was raped and strangled in the back seat of her car in Lake Worth in June 1987.

Rodney Clark, 51, was arrested in 2012 after a national DNA database flagged him as a match for semen found on Fader's dress.

Clark acknowledged being in Palm Beach County at the time of the murder but denied responsibility for Fader's death.

On Tuesday, Clark was convicted of first-degree murder. Under Florida's new death penalty law, all 12 jurors must vote unanimously for execution. Otherwise, it's an automatic life sentence.

His sentencing phase will begin September 6th.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.