Updated August 23, 2024:
Andre Taylor will spend the rest of his life in prison.
At sentencing prosecutors said Taylore caused Vickie Belk's family "generational trauma."
"Her son grew up without a mother. Her parents had to bury their daughter. Her parents had to lay on their deathbed not knowing who killed their daughter. Her grandchildren never got a chance to meet their grandmother," said Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse. "Yet all throughout this case, I’ve never seen a family with so much grit, determination, and grace.”
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UPDATED July 19, 2024: Andre Taylor, now 63, was found guilty July 18 of raping and killing Vickie Lynn Belk.
A Charles County jury convicted him of first-degree murder and first-degree rape, after a nine-day trial and two hours of deliberation.
Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington issued this statement following the jury's verdict.
These cold cases are rarely solved. They get solved with dogged determination and talent. I am very grateful that Charles County, after 45 years, was able to bring some closure for the Belk family and justice for Vickie Lynn Belk.
Taylor faces a combined two life sentences.
He will be sentenced September 6.
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Original Story:
Investigators believe they've solved a 1979 murder in Charles County.
It was August 28 of that year when Vickie Lynn Belk, 28, was reported missing by her then boyfriend.
The couple worked together at the Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C.
One day later a teenager was riding a bike along Metropolitan Church Road and Route 227 when they came across a body in a wooded area on the side of the road.
It was Vickie. She'd been raped and shot to death.
For decades her killer's identity remained a mystery, despite several leads and multiple pieces of evidence being recovered from the crime scene.
In early 2022 with the advancement of forensic technology, detectives decided to re-evaluate the evidence by submitting Vickie's clothing for DNA testing.
Later that year, in November, investigators got their big break.
Using the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a matching profile was discovered.
Detectives learned Andre Taylor, now 62, lived within four miles of where Vickie's body was found.
The Sheriff's Office says Taylor had a violent record out of Washington D.C., but nothing resembling what he allegedly did to Vickie.
Taylor was eventually tracked down in D.C. and indicted by a grand jury on murder and rape charges.
Although he denied responsibility for Vickie's murder, Taylor did admit to raping her.
There is no indication that Taylor, who was only 18 at the time, knew Vickie.
Thus far, Taylor has not been linked to any other similar cases.
He's currently being held without bond at the Charles County Detention Center.
"The news of the grand jury returning an indictment for the individual responsible for Vickie’s death and an arrest in her murder begins the long-awaited process of justice finally being served," said Kay Belk, Vickie’s sister. "We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office detectives and the forensics personnel who never ceased seeking justice on Vickie’s behalf."
Since her death, Vickie's family launched the Vickie Belk Foundation which grants school scholarships in her memory.
To learn more about the foundation click here.
