PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Phoenix police say a man who was questioned by investigators this week confessed to a murder at a west Phoenix bus stop that happened 15 years ago.
Authorities said 35-year-old Edgar Mendoza was arrested on Monday after cold case detectives linked him to the crime through DNA evidence.
Mug shot for 35-year-old Edgar Mendoza(Phoenix Police Department)
According to police, 69-year-old Walter Zimmer was found dead at a bus stop near 51st Avenue and Thomas Road on the morning of Sept. 5, 2010. At the time, officers couldn’t find witnesses or video surveillance footage, but physical evidence was gathered.
Ultimately, the case was assigned to cold case detectives, who investigated for several years before Phoenix PD Crime Lab got a match in the CODIS system, a national database of DNA profiles, that connected Mendoza to the murder.
On Monday, Mendoza was taken into police headquarters for questioning, where police said that he confessed to the crime.
Details on a possible motive have not yet been released.
According to jail records, Mendoza was booked into jail on accusations of probation violation, trespassing, criminal littering/polluting, and second-degree murder.
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