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“The Killing of Theresa Fusco”: 48 Hours Reports April 25 2026

Ryan Gill

CBS’s 48 Hours presents The Killing of Theresa Fusco, a new episode airing Saturday, April 25, 2026, at 10:00 PM ET/PT. Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports on a Long Island murder case that began in 1984 and remained unresolved for more than four decades, despite arrests, convictions, exonerations, and years of unanswered questions.

The episode focuses on the death of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco, who vanished after leaving her job at the Hot Skates roller rink in Lynbrook, New York. Her case became one of the most painful mysteries in Nassau County, tied in public memory to the disappearances of two other young women, Kelly Morrissey and Jacqueline Martarella.

A Teenager Vanishes After Leaving Work

Theresa Fusco was last seen on November 10, 1984, after leaving her job at the snack bar at Hot Skates. She had been fired that night and was seen leaving the roller rink at about 9:45 p.m. to walk home, a distance of only a few blocks.

She never arrived. Her disappearance brought fear to Lynbrook because another teenager, 15-year-old Kelly Morrissey, had vanished months earlier. Theresa and Kelly were friends, which deepened concern that the area may have been facing a connected threat.

The Discovery of Theresa Fusco’s Body

On December 5, 1984, Theresa’s body was found in a wooded area near the Long Island Rail Road tracks, not far from the roller rink. She had been covered with leaves and debris. Authorities determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

The discovery devastated her family and placed pressure on Nassau County investigators. Theresa was a high school student with a close family and plans for her future. Her death became a source of grief not only for her relatives, but also for a community already unsettled by other missing girls.

Three Disappearances Shake Long Island

Theresa’s case was not viewed in isolation. Kelly Morrissey disappeared on June 12, 1984, and was never seen again. Months after Theresa’s death, 19-year-old Jacqueline Martarella vanished in March 1985. Her body was later found on a golf course.

The three cases led to public fear around what some residents called the “Lynbrook triangle.” Families waited for answers while law enforcement faced pressure to solve the crimes and reassure the community.

The First Arrests and Convictions

In 1985, police arrested John Kogut, John Restivo, and Dennis Halstead in connection with Theresa’s murder. Authorities said Kogut confessed after a long interrogation and implicated the other two men. All three denied involvement.

Kogut was convicted in 1986 and sentenced to prison. Restivo and Halstead were also convicted later that year. Prosecutors relied on Kogut’s confession, hair evidence recovered from Restivo’s van, and informant testimony.

Questions About the Evidence

The convictions later came under scrutiny. Kogut argued that his confession had been coerced after hours of questioning. The statement contained no new crime details that were unknown to investigators, which became a major issue for defense attorneys.

Hair evidence also drew criticism. An analyst had testified that hairs found in Restivo’s van were consistent with Theresa’s hair, but later review raised concerns about the reliability of that conclusion. Defense experts argued the hairs may have come from autopsy materials rather than from Theresa being inside the van.

DNA Testing Changes the Case

Years later, DNA testing changed the course of the case. Testing on biological evidence from Theresa’s body excluded Kogut, Restivo, and Halstead. Prosecutors at first questioned whether the tested samples were the best available evidence.

In 2003, defense attorneys located records showing that an intact vaginal swab had never been tested. DNA testing on that swab again excluded all three men. Their convictions were vacated, and the men were released after spending years in prison.

The Retrial and Exoneration

Kogut was retried in 2005. Prosecutors argued that the DNA could have come from a consensual encounter before Theresa’s death, while the defense argued that the confession was false and that the DNA evidence undermined the prosecution’s case.

On December 21, 2005, Kogut was found not guilty after a bench trial. Charges against Restivo and Halstead were dismissed later that month. The case became a notable example of wrongful conviction concerns involving false confessions, informant testimony, and disputed forensic evidence.

A Cold Case Breakthrough After Four Decades

The investigation moved again decades later through advanced DNA testing and forensic genealogy. In 2023, forensic specialists developed new leads from the DNA profile connected to Theresa’s case.

Investigators identified Richard Bilodeau as a suspect. Bilodeau had lived in Lynbrook at the time of Theresa’s murder, about a mile from both the roller rink and the Fusco residence.

The Smoothie Straw Evidence

In 2024, investigators placed Bilodeau under surveillance. They recovered a discarded smoothie cup and straw after he threw them away. Prosecutors say DNA from the straw matched the male DNA profile recovered from Theresa’s body.

That straw became the key piece of evidence linking Bilodeau to the case. It gave investigators a direct comparison sample after decades in which the unknown DNA profile had not been matched to a named suspect.

Richard Bilodeau’s Arrest and Charges

Richard Bilodeau was arrested on October 14, 2025. He was indicted on two counts of second-degree murder: one count alleging intentional murder and one alleging murder during the course of a rape.

Bilodeau pleaded not guilty and was remanded. Prosecutors have said that if convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison. The charges remain accusations, and Bilodeau is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

The Outcome So Far

The earlier convictions of Kogut, Restivo, and Halstead did not stand. Kogut was acquitted after retrial, and the charges against Restivo and Halstead were dismissed. Restivo and Halstead later won a federal civil lawsuit against Nassau County, while Kogut’s separate civil case was unsuccessful.

As of the 48 Hours episode, the new criminal case against Bilodeau is pending. The outcome of any trial has not been decided. The episode centers on how the case moved from a wrongful-conviction controversy to a new prosecution based on modern DNA science.

A Case Marked by Loss, Persistence, and Delayed Answers

The Killing of Theresa Fusco is not only about a forensic breakthrough. It is also about the long cost of an unsolved murder, the trauma carried by Theresa’s family, and the impact of wrongful convictions on three men who spent years behind bars.

Through interviews with Theresa’s father Thomas Fusco, her brother John Fusco, relatives of other victims, investigators, and prosecutors, 48 Hours examines a case that has stretched across generations. The episode shows how a single piece of discarded evidence, a smoothie straw, brought new attention to a murder that began with a teenage girl walking home from work in 1984.

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