2 Rhode Island Cold Cases Cracked: AG

Investigators solved two decades-old homicides, the Rhode Island Attorney General's Office said.

The attorney general's cold case unit and local police closed the cases of Cynthia McKenna, who was killed in 2007, and 24-year-old Debra Stone who was slain in 1984, the office said in a media release.

"In 2023, when I sought funding to launch a Cold Case Unit, my mission was simple — deliver long-awaited answers for victims seemingly forgotten by time and for families who never gave up hope," Attorney General Peter F. Neronha said in the release.

"Since then, through the incredible work of our Cold Case Unit and law enforcement collaborators, we have made significant progress in doing just that," Neronha said. "Today, we close the cases surrounding the deaths of Cynthia and Debra, and by doing so, we hope their families can finally feel a sense of closure."

The Death Of Debra Stone

Stone’s body was found by boaters in the Narrow River Narragansett in September 1984. The 24-year-old had been strangled to death.

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"Multiple witnesses noted that Debra had visited Robert D. Geremia in Johnston the night of August 29, 1984 — the last time she was heard from," the release said.

"During the initial investigation, investigators developed an informant who saw Debra in Geremia’s apartment on the night of Aug. 29 and helped move Debra’s body from Geremia’s apartment to the Narrow River on Aug. 30," the release said. "The informant’s statement matched evidence from the scene and other witness testimony."

Another witness told police she heard Geremia say he “had to” kill Stone because she was stealing from him, according to the release, but Geremia claimed to investigators that Stone overdosed, which conflicted with the medical examiner's findings.

On September 2, 1984, Narragansett Police Department responded to the Narrow River in Narragansett, where 24-year-old Debra Stone’s body was found by boaters. The state medical examiner determined that Debra’s cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation.

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"The medical examiner’s conclusion that Debra died by strangulation, coupled with witness statements corroborated by evidence from the scene, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Geremia murdered Debra," the attorney general's media release said, noting Geremia died 30 years ago and "therefore cannot be charged with Debra’s murder."

The Killing Of Cynthia McKenna

McKenna was 49 when she was found dead in bed in her North Providence apartment on Feb. 21, 2007. The state medical examiner determined her cause of death was asphyxiation due to blocked airways.

Witnesses told police of a tumultuous relationship between McKenna and a man named Robert Corry, according to the release.

"Throughout the investigation, witness statements provided insight into the hostile relationship between Cynthia and Corry, stemming from domestic violence charges Cynthia filed against Corry, as well as claims of money that Corry owed Cynthia," the release said.

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Investigators constructed a timeline of events surrounding McKenna's death and discovered "significant gaps in Corry’s known whereabouts," according to the release.

"In late 2007, investigators intercepted two letters and one envelope which appeared to be written by Corry to a known associate in which the writer confessed that he murdered Cynthia," the release said. "The Department of Health recovered a DNA profile from the envelope and entered that profile into State and National DNA databases consisting of incarcerated individuals. Corry’s profile has never been in those databases, and thus the profile could not be compared."

The Cold Case Unit and the North Providence Police Department reopened the investigation last year and employed new forensic and investigative techniques. Investigators were able to match a DNA profile from a direct male relative of Corry to the DNA profile from the envelope, "corroborating that Corry wrote the confession," according to the release.

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"The Cold Case Unit's conclusion that Corry authored the confession letter, coupled with the gaps in determining his whereabouts and his admissions of guilt both in the letter and to witnesses, establishes beyond a reasonable doubt that Corry suffocated and killed Cynthia," the release said.

Similar to Geremia, Corry died in 2014 "and therefore cannot be charged with Cynthia’s murder," the release said.

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