1975 Maryland Cold Case Solved with Confession from Convicted Serial Killer

Charles William Davis Jr., already serving life sentences for other murders, confessed to killing Roseann Sturtz after police presented new photographic evidence.

Roseann Sturtz, a 20-year-old Maryland woman, was killed in 1975 after meeting her attacker at a bar; her case remained unsolved for nearly 50 years.
Howard County police revisited the cold case in 2024, uncovering a 1981 audio tape in which Charles William Davis Jr. discussed the murder under an immunity agreement.
Davis, now 77 and serving life sentences for other 1970s murders, confessed after being shown a more recent photo of Sturtz taken shortly before her death.
Sturtz’s skeletal remains were discovered in December 1975, and her identity was confirmed in 1976 through forensic analysis and a sketch developed by a Smithsonian anthropologist.
While Davis cannot be charged due to the immunity agreement, police and Sturtz’s family have expressed relief at finally achieving closure.