In late summer 2000, the badly beaten body of 33-year-old Rosali Jimenez was found in the basement of an abandoned building at 50-52 Cedar Street in Hartford, Connecticut. Investigators determined she had died of severe blunt force trauma to the head and neck; her skull was described as nearly unrecognizable and it was reported she had been stomped to death.

DNA from blood under Jimenez’s fingernails and other items at the scene, including Newport cigarette butts, later linked her murder to the killings of Aida Quinones (April 2000) and Alesia Ford (July 2001). Those victims, like Jimenez, were known to be involved in sex work and drug use and were found in secluded Hartford locations with similar, extreme head injuries.

Authorities matched the DNA profile to Matthew Steven Johnson, who was arrested January 13, 2002, and charged in connection with the three slayings. Forensic testimony tied Johnson’s DNA to semen samples from all three victims. Does anyone have information about Rosali’s life or movements in Hartford around 2000 that could help clarify what happened?