North Miami Beach police use fingerprints to solve nearly 40-year-old murder case, arrest made
Nearly four decades after Shirley Brant was shot and killed during an attempted robbery at her North Miami Beach office, police announced they have made an arrest in her murder.
On Friday afternoon, they shared the breakthrough during an emotional press conference with the victim's family.
Arrest announced after DNA fingerprint match
North Miami Beach Police Chief Juan Pinillos identified 64-year-old Jeffrey Taylor as the man charged with second-degree murder with a firearm in connection with the June 1986 killing of Shirley Brant.
"Justice has finally caught up with a suspect in the 1986 murder of our victim, Shirley Brant," said Pinillos.
Taylor was identified through a fingerprint recovered from the original crime scene.
The print had not been entered into the Automated Fingerprint Identification System at the time of the murder. It was rediscovered during a 2023 cold case review and reanalyzed using new forensic technology.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office crime lab matched the fingerprint to Taylor on March 21, 2025. He was taken into custody on April 24.
Cold case detectives came out of retirement
Pinillos credited the persistence of the department's Cold Case Unit. Specifically, retired sergeants Pam Denham and Yvette Darden, who returned to work on the investigation.
"We started shouting when we heard the news," said Darden. "Glad to bring closure to the family."
The two detectives' efforts were instrumental in helping close one of the city's longest-running unsolved homicides.
Family shares pain and relief
During the press conference, Shirley Brant's son, Ben Brant, spoke about how the unresolved case had haunted his family for decades.
"It affected everyone. I was working with her at the time," said Brant.
He described his mother as a generous and groundbreaking businesswoman.
"She was ahead of her time... breaking the glass ceiling and she gave her money to philanthropy," he said.
Second suspect still sought
Police said the case remains open and they are still searching for a second suspect involved in the 1986 attempted robbery and shooting.
"We will continue to fight for justice no matter how long it takes," said Pinillos.
