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New Tech Credited In Arrest Made In A 16-Year-Old Gardena Homicide

Published Jan 30, 2022 10:17 AM

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An arrest has been made in connection to a 16-year-old homicide.

In April of 2005, 21-year-old Pertina Epps’ body was found in a Gardena carport. A person backing out of one of four stalls found her body, and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according the L.A. County Sheriff's officials.

The L.A. County Coroner determinedshe was strangled, but the investigation fizzled out and her death remained unsolved.

Now, the Sheriff’s department has announced that, using new technology to analyze DNA and fingerprint evidence, Charles Wright, 56 of Hawthorne, has been linked to Epps’ death.

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Wright was arrested Thursday and was released later that same day on $1 million bail. Wright is scheduled to be arraigned June 28, according the sheriff's officials.

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New Tech Credited In Arrest Made In A 16-Year-Old Gardena Homicide