Two cold cases, a murder and a rape, are now tied to the same person, from West Islip, through advanced DNA testing.
The family of the 69-year-old victim, Ann Lustig, who was sexually assaulted and killed, was on hand for the announcement on Monday.
Immense grief rushes back 29 years later for the two children and grandson of Lustig.
"Ann was a beautiful person that navigated an ugly world and met a horrible end," said Lustig's grandson.
Suffolk County prosecutors say Lustig was waiting for a taxi outside of Kings Park State Psychiatric Hospital in February of 1997, when she was picked up, raped, beaten and killed.
Her body was found a day later off of Route 25 on Fresh Pond Avenue in Calverton.
On Monday, Suffolk County's cold case task force, through advanced DNA testing, announced her killer as the now deceased, Steven Briecke, also of Suffolk County.
The same man, through the same DNA testing, has been tied to the December 1996 rape of an 82-year-old woman, who was waiting for a ride near the same spot.
"There were black-colored fibers and green-colored fibers recovered from both victims," said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. "The black fibers were consistent with a car vehicle mat. The green were consistent with carpet fibers. Those black and green fibers recovered from both of the victims were compared with each other and found to be similar to each other."
Tierney says Briecke was a convicted felon and sex offender whose DNA was placed in a database, which is how they made the match.
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