An American man has been arrested and faces extradition to Germany for the 1978 homicide of a girl that occurred whereas he was stationed at a US Military base. Investigators say DNA proof discovered on the crime scene a long time in the past has been matched to the suspect, James Patrick Dempsey.
“Investigators decided that the likelihood of a match was 1 in 270 quadrillion,” in response to an extradition doc filed in courtroom final week.
Dempsey is accused of stabbing and killing 35-year-old Bärbel Gansau in his condominium in Ludwigsburg, Germany. She was discovered useless in her mattress with 37 gunshot wounds. Investigators stated a toilet window was open, they usually collected fingerprint proof from the window body that urged her assailant had entered the condominium that means.
Gansau had attended officers' golf equipment for American troopers who have been stationed at a US Military base in Ludwigsburg, and a buddy stated she knew a number of the troopers. Investigators collected fingerprints from a number of troopers Gansau knew, however all had an alibi. Dempsey was not a part of the unique investigation.
For years, the case was chilly.
However in 2020, with advances in forensic expertise, investigators reopened the investigation. Since they suspected that the killer was an American soldier, the fingerprints have been in contrast with a database in the USA.
This time they stated they discovered a match in Dempsey, who was stationed in Ludwigsburg between 1977 and 1978. He was launched from the Military in 1978, and in response to courtroom paperwork, Military information stated who had developed an alcohol drawback and aggressive conduct. .
After Dempsey returned to the USA, he was arrested for driving underneath the affect and unauthorized use of a automobile, and due to that prison cost, his fingerprints have been added to the database.
In 2021, FBI investigators pulled trash from Dempsey's residence and located materials to show a DNA match. In 2022, German investigators decided that DNA matched proof from the crime scene, notably a pattern of semen discovered on the sheets and Gansau.
Dempsey, who was 20 on the time of the homicide, was from central New York, in response to Syracuse.com.
As a part of its extradition treaty with Germany, the USA filed a criticism looking for a warrant for Dempsey's provisional arrest on February 9. He was arrested on February 13 and is presently within the custody of the USA Marshals Service.
America requested that Dempsey be held with out bail till he’s extradited, arguing that he “poses a flight threat and a hazard to the neighborhood.”
CBS Information has reached out to the US Division of Justice for extra info and is awaiting a response.
Caitlin O'Kane
