Man Confesses to 1989 Fatal Hit-and-Run After DNA Links Him to Crime

Herbert Stanback, already incarcerated, admitted to the crime following new DNA evidence from a preserved marijuana joint.

Ruth Buchanan was struck and killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a driver who fled the scene in 1989.
Herbert Stanback, 68, confessed to the hit-and-run while on a work-release program from prison.
The case remained unsolved for decades until DNA from a marijuana cigarette found in the suspect's car matched Stanback.
Stanback has been sentenced to two years for the hit-and-run, to be served concurrently with his existing 22-year sentence.
The resolution of the case brought unexpected closure to Buchanan's family after 34 years.