Former Tournament Of Roses Director, 71, Arrested In Cold Case Murder
LOS ANGELES (CBS) — A former director of the Tournament of Roses has been arrested in connection to a 2004 cold case murder.
Richard Allan Munnecke, 71, was linked to the murder of 59-year-old Donna Lee Kelly through DNA evidence, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said. The two had been involved in an affair while Munnecke was married.
Kelly was reported missing in April 2004. Her body was found in the trunk of her car three weeks later by her daughter, Diane, who noticed a foul odor, the sheriff's department said.
"It was later learned the murder had occurred at Donna Kelly's home and her body was moved to the trunk of her own vehicle, which sat in an apartment parking lot, unnoticed until Diane drove it," the sheriff's department said in a statement.
Officials say Kelly's murder had gone cold until detectives recently reopened the case and gathered new information. They were able to obtain a DNA sample from Munnecke and it was a positive match to DNA recovered form Kelly's body and car.
Munnecke is being held on $1 million bail.