Man charged with 1982 rape and killing

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A New York man has been charged with raping and killing a woman during a burglary of her Los Angeles apartment 27 years ago.

Investigators said Victor Alvarez, 53, was linked to the 1982 killing of Hazel Hughes by DNA, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Alvarez is also suspected of killing Cordelia Ferguson, 65, who, like Hughes, was raped and stabbed. The two women died 10 hours apart in the same building.

At the time, Alvarez lived in the same building. While his fingerprints were found in Hughes's apartment, detectives at the time said they did not have enough evidence to make an arrest.

Alvarez was charged with capital murder Friday and could face the death penalty if convicted. He was arrested three weeks ago at a methadone clinic in Manhattan.

Police were able to obtain a DNA sample without his knowledge, investigators said.

"This cold case became hot when the DNA sample recovered from the crime scene matched the sample taken from Alvarez," said Capt. Kevin McClure of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Alvarez moved to New York after serving a California sentence for manslaughter.