23-Year Cold Case: Murdered Mom's Killer Caught Using Genetic Genealogy

The Discovery of Leslie Preer's Murder

• 🩸 On a May morning in 2001, Leslie Preer failed to show up for work, prompting concern from her colleagues.
• 🏠 Upon entering her Chevy Chase home, Leslie's husband and a colleague discovered blood in the foyer and signs of a struggle, leading to the discovery of Leslie's body in the upstairs shower.
• 💔 The victim, Leslie Preer, was described as a warm, generous, and magnetic woman, married for nearly 30 years to Carl "Sandy" Preer, with whom she raised their daughter, Lauren.

Initial Investigation and Suspicions

• 🕵️‍♂️ Detectives initially investigated family and friends, but the lack of forced entry suggested someone familiar with the house or someone Leslie would have let in.
• 👨‍🦳 Suspicion quickly fell on Leslie's husband, Sandy Preer, due to his initial search of the house and his account of the morning.
• 🍷 Sandy's interviews revealed details about Leslie's drinking habits and their arguments, which, while not violent, painted a complex picture of their marriage.
• ❓ Sandy Preer failed a polygraph test, intensifying the police focus on him, though he maintained his innocence.
• 🩸 Autopsy results indicated blunt force trauma and strangulation, with V-shaped lacerations on Leslie's head matching a corner in the door jamb, suggesting a violent struggle.

The Unidentified DNA and Cold Case

• 🧬 Crucially, DNA found at the crime scene, including under Leslie's fingernails, did not match Sandy Preer, pointing to an unknown male perpetrator.
• 📝 A list of 18-24 men, including family and friends, were interviewed and excluded as suspects.
• ⏳ The case went cold for nearly a decade until detectives reopened it in 2010, exploring new leads, including a neighbor Leslie knew.
• 💔 Sandy Preer passed away in 2017, never officially cleared, but with evidence suggesting he was not the perpetrator.

Breakthrough with Genetic Genealogy

• 📞 In 2022, detectives contacted Lauren Preer about using genetic genealogy to solve her mother's murder.
• 🌳 By submitting the unknown male DNA into a database, investigators built a family tree, working backward from potential relatives.
• 🇷🇴 This process led to a match from Romania, identifying Eugene Glegor, a former boyfriend of Lauren's, as a person of interest.
• 💧 A covert DNA sample was obtained from Glegor at the airport, confirming a match to the crime scene DNA.

Arrest, Plea, and Sentencing

• 🚨 Eugene Glegor was arrested and, despite initially claiming confusion and memory loss, eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.
• 🗣️ During a sentencing hearing, Lauren Preer confronted Glegor, expressing her pain and calling him a monster.
• ⚖️ Glegor expressed deep regret and remorse for his actions.
• 📅 He was sentenced to 30 years, with 22 years suspended, and 5 years of supervised probation, a resolution that brought closure to Lauren and her family after nearly 25 years.