Sarasota Detective Who Cracked Decades-Old Case Honored

SARASOTA, FL — A Sarasota detective whose police work solved the decades-old murder of Judith Elaine Doherty, was honored this week by Congressman Vern Buchanan.

Detective Anthony DeFrancisco used DNA samples to link the 1988 murder to a Florida inmate. Doherty's body was found brutally beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted in a Sarasota field by a jogger.

David L. Stephens was already serving a 70-year sentence at the Desoto Annex prison on unrelated charges when his DNA was compared to DNA found on the woman's body.

"The DNA match was irrefutable, very strong," DeFrancisco said at a press conference announcing the charges. "The DNA match was corroborated by other crime scene physical evidence linking Stephens to the murder."

DeFrancisco received the Career Service Award for his work on hundreds of serious felony cases throughout his career, including the murder of Doherty.

"The original investigation hit a dead end after all available leads were thoroughly investigated," explained Genevieve Judge of the agency. "In 2009, Detective DeFrancisco took it upon himself to pore through the numerous case files to determine if any new leads could potentially be developed."

The breakthrough came in December when the detective used new DNA technology to identify the suspect in a string of five brutal sexual assaults that occurred in Sarasota in the early 1990s.

"Through determination and refusal to leave any stone unturned, DeFrancisco was able to bring justice and a sense of closure to five local women who thought an arrest would never occur," said Judge.

The award was part of the 8th Annual Congressional Law Enforcement Awards which coincide with National Police Week.

The Sarasota Police Department Crisis Negotiation Unit and SWAT team were also honored during the Monday night ceremony.

"The Sarasota Police CNU and SWAT received the Unit Citation Award for their hard work involving a barricaded subject inside a Sarasota hotel," according to Judge.

Police responded to a call of a man barricaded inside the Westin Hotel. When they arrived, officers learned the man was on the 17th floor. They evacuated several floors of the hotel as well as the rooftop bar.

"The man exited peacefully and allowed himself to be taken into custody," said Judge. "Due to the suspect’s location in a high-rise hotel room that looked onto a crowded and busy downtown, this situation had the potential to have a tragic outcome."

Judge attributed the peaceful outcome to the Crisis Negotiation Unit as well as the SWAT team's "rapid and successful deployment."

DeFrancisco is a 22-year-veteran of the Sarasota Police Department.

"During his career as a detective in the Criminal Investigative Division, Detective DeFrancisco has been the lead investigator on 20 homicide investigations and as an investigative team member on dozens more," Judge added.