After 34 years, girlfriend charged in man's D.C. murder

Exactly 34 years after a man was killed inside his D.C. home, the Metropolitan Police Department announced his girlfriend has been arrested for the murder.

Norman Rich, 34, known as "Semo," was found inside his bedroom in his house on M Street, in the Northeast part of D.C., on Wednesday, March 28, 1990.

He was shot to death, police said. 

Shelia Brown, now 66 years old and living in Annapolis, Maryland, was arrested by members of the Annapolis Police Department and the United States Marshals Service on Wednesday. 

Authorities said Rich's body was discovered by Brown, the mother of the couple's three children. She told police at the time that she was about to run some errands, and right before she left two men came to their house looking for him. Brown told police she had recognized one of the men, "Ducky."

When she returned home she found the front door open and Rich inside the bedroom, dead.

Police then offered a $25,000 reward for information about the case, but weren't able to find the killer. 

Detectives said their investigation found the alleged murder "was domestic in nature," but didn't offer further details on Brown's arrest after three decades. During a Thursday news conference, D.C. police inspector Kevin Kentish said detectives never stopped looking at the case, WTOP reported. 

Investigators used new technology and tests and began "looking at all the evidence, looking at witness statements and being able to find certain intricacies in the case that would lead to the closure."

Brown was charged with second degree murder and obstruction of justice, after a D.C. superior court indictment.

In:
• Cold Case
• Washington D.C.

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at [email protected]