Malden

Man Arrested in Georgia 30 Years After Allegedly Killing Teen Living With Girlfriend

Rodney Daniels, who'd been dating one of the biological daughters of Patricia Moreno's foster mother, was arrested in Georgia on Monday in the 17-year-old's 1991 killing, authorities say

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Thirty years after a teenager was fatally shot on a fire escape in Malden, Massachusetts, a man has been arrested on suspicion of murder, authorities announced Wednesday.

Seventeen-year-old Patricia Moreno was living with her foster family on Henry Street when she was found face-down on a fire escape, mortally wounded after having been shot in the head, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a news conference.

Rodney Daniels, 48, who'd been dating one of the biological daughters of Moreno's foster mother, was arrested in Georgia on Monday in the July 20, 1991, killing, after a cold case investigation unit uncovered new evidence in the case, according to Ryan.

A neighbor who'd been out of the United States for long time told the cold case team that he was awoken by the sound of a gun the night of the killing, looked out the window and saw someone "consistent with the appearance of Rodney Daniels," Ryan said.

Another witness gave new information -- they had information at the time but didn't tell investigators then because of relationships and family ties that have changed in the years since, according to Ryan.

A grand jury indictment charging Daniels with murder was returned Wednesday, Ryan said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Daniels, who was expected to be returned to Massachusetts on Wednesday, had an attorney who could speak to the charge.

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