OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) – A cold case documentary series features a St. Landry Parish murder that took 20 years to solve.
In May of 1988, Brenda DuPont was found murdered in her home, sparking the beginning of an investigation that would not be solved for over 20 years. With the investigation now the subject of a cold case documentary series, former police chief Perry Gallow, and investigator Dwain Grimmett recall the experience and the significance of finding closure for the family.
"We were determined to do our best, and that message was consistently given," says former Police Chief Perry Gallow.
Gallow says while he was on the campaign trail for Chief of Police, he focused on the needs of the community to make improvements in office. The family of Brenda DuPont was a major part of discussion as Dupont's Murder was still unsolved nearly twenty years after her body was found in her home with multiple stab wounds and evidence of a sexual assault.
When Gallow took office, He was determined to find closure. "I wanted to find someone to be able to look at these cases. Someone with the commitment and the focus to do so. And of course, in my view, that was Dwain Grimmett."
In speaking to Grimmett, he says a primary suspect in the initial investigation, Joenell Rubin, had initially been ruled out of the case due to a lack of evidence. However, as time passed and technology improved, Grimette says evidence from DuPont's body following the sexual assault pointed back to Rubin.
When it came time to question Rubin, Grimmette says Rubin was already in custody for another domestic abuse charge. "I went back and talked to the suspect again, and he indicated the same thing; that he never was around her and he even told me that he was in jail at the time the incident happened," says Grimmett.
A claim that would be proven false after crime lab results came in confirming Rubin's DNA on the body of Brenda DuPont.
"The ultimate result was a DNA match of Joenelle Rubin," says Gallow.
24 years after the murder of Brenda DuPont, the case is finally closed and Gallow says the greatest achievement is proving that justice can be found no matter how long it takes. "It's a sense of gratitude to all of those involved, but at the same time, letting the public know that regardless of how long it takes, that law enforcement has a job, and that job is to get to the bottom of things and determine who is responsible for certain crimes and make sure those individuals are brought to justice," says Gallow.
The full investigation can be explored on Cold Case Files on Netflix.
