Houston crime: Investigators solve March 2011 murder case, suspect arrested
HOUSTON - An arrest has been made following the death of a woman back in 2011, authorities said.
What we know:
According to Houston police, 54-year-old Earnest Harold Smith was charged with murder last week.
Earnest Harold Smith
The backstory:
According to a release, Houston police were called out to an apartment on March 6, 2011, on Dunvale Street after the victim's father found her dead after she didn't show up for work that morning.
The victim was later identified as 38-year-old Bridget Caldwell.
Authorities said an autopsy later determined that Caldwell had been strangled and a homicide investigation was started.
Houston police stated that Smith had been romantically involved with Caldwell at the time of her death and was initially identified as a person of interest.
The case was later assigned to the HPD Cold Case Squad and further follow-ups were able to identify additional evidence that linked Smith to Caldwell's death.
Smith was booked into the Harris County Jail.
According to court records, Smith's bond was set at $100,000, which has been posted. Part of his bond conditions will include GPS monitoring.
The Source: Information for this story from the Houston Police Department and Harris County court records