1987 Davie Murder Solved: DNA Testing Identifies Suspect Donald Lawless

Cold Case Solved After Four Decades

• 🎯 Davie Police announced a major breakthrough in the 1987 cold case murder of Marilyn Decker, 28.
• 💡 New DNA testing has identified Donald Lawless as the man connected to her murder, providing answers for her family after nearly 40 years.

Discovery and Evidence

• 📅 Marilyn Decker's body was found floating in a large bag in a Davie Canal on October 22nd, 1987.
• 🔪 She had been stabbed multiple times.
• 🔬 Investigators found strands of hair at the scene that matched Lawless.

Suspect and Potential Connections

• 👤 Donald Lawless, who was in his 60s at the time of the killing, was not previously on law enforcement's radar.
• 📜 Lawless had a criminal record dating back to the 1940s and died in 1995.
• 🔗 Detectives believe Lawless may be connected to other unsolved cases involving women found dumped and killed in a similar manner in areas like Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood.

Ongoing Investigations and Family Impact

• 🗺️ Police are collaborating with agencies locally and as far as Chicago, where Lawless once lived, to investigate potential links to other cases.
• 💔 For Decker's family, the answers come too late, as both of her parents passed away before justice was served.
• 🗣️ Decker's sister, Gail Deore, had been a persistent advocate for answers for almost 40 years.