Nesline Little, 55, of North Amityville, New York, was found dead at home on October 14, 1985, shot in the forehead and slumped in a dining-room chair. She had been active in the community and worked with children through Head Start.

Investigators believed a hunting rifle recovered at the scene was the likely weapon and said the wound caused significant skull damage. Her son, a New York Housing Authority police officer, discovered her at about 6:45 p.m. Attention quickly focused on William Russell Minor, 59, described as Little’s common-law partner.

According to reports, Minor was located in a Chester, Pennsylvania bar, where he reportedly broke down and told an off-duty patrolman he had shot his wife. He was taken into custody at about 1:30 a.m. and held at Suffolk County authorities’ request while ballistics testing was still pending.