Detective works with family to crack decades-old case.
The Bucks County District Attorney's office announced the identification of a suspect in a 1962 church murder cold case, bringing closure to the victim's family nearly six decades later. The killer, whose name has not been released to the public at this time, is believed to have committed the crime when he was just 16 years old.
Prosecutors said they worked with the suspect's family to gather evidence and piece together the events surrounding the murder of 19-year-old John Hartman, who was shot and killed outside St. Patrick's Church in Newtown Township. The case went cold after a thorough investigation at the time but was reopened last year due to new DNA evidence.
Prosecutors said that through the use of advanced genetic testing, they were able to identify a match with one of Mr. Hartman's biological relatives. They believe this connection led them to the suspect, who is now over 78 years old and lives in the Philadelphia area.
Hartman's family expressed gratitude for the determination by prosecutors and investigators that allowed them to finally get answers after all these years.
"We are grateful that justice has been served," said John Hartman, whose brother was murdered. "We have always had faith that our son's killer would one day be caught."
The Bucks County District Attorney's office declined to comment further on the case but released a statement expressing their gratitude for the tireless work of investigators and prosecutors.
"We are proud of the hard work and dedication of our team, who worked tirelessly to solve this cold case," the statement said. "We hope that this resolution brings closure to Mr. Hartman's family and a measure of justice."
The investigation into the 1962 church murder is ongoing, but authorities say they have sufficient evidence to make an arrest in connection with the crime.
The Bucks County District Attorney's office announced the identification of a suspect in a 1962 church murder cold case, bringing closure to the victim's family nearly six decades later. The killer, whose name has not been released to the public at this time, is believed to have committed the crime when he was just 16 years old.
Prosecutors said they worked with the suspect's family to gather evidence and piece together the events surrounding the murder of 19-year-old John Hartman, who was shot and killed outside St. Patrick's Church in Newtown Township. The case went cold after a thorough investigation at the time but was reopened last year due to new DNA evidence.
Prosecutors said that through the use of advanced genetic testing, they were able to identify a match with one of Mr. Hartman's biological relatives. They believe this connection led them to the suspect, who is now over 78 years old and lives in the Philadelphia area.
Hartman's family expressed gratitude for the determination by prosecutors and investigators that allowed them to finally get answers after all these years.
"We are grateful that justice has been served," said John Hartman, whose brother was murdered. "We have always had faith that our son's killer would one day be caught."
The Bucks County District Attorney's office declined to comment further on the case but released a statement expressing their gratitude for the tireless work of investigators and prosecutors.
"We are proud of the hard work and dedication of our team, who worked tirelessly to solve this cold case," the statement said. "We hope that this resolution brings closure to Mr. Hartman's family and a measure of justice."
The investigation into the 1962 church murder is ongoing, but authorities say they have sufficient evidence to make an arrest in connection with the crime.
they must've been living w/ this uncertainty 4 so long & its amazing that prosecutors worked w/ their family 2 help crack the case thru dna evidence its just mind-blowing 2 think about how one tiny clue led 2 an arrest @ 78 yrs old lol what a crazy twist of fate 
anyhoo i hope justice serves as a reminder 4 the importance of perseverance & determination in solving cold cases 
ITS AMAZING THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH THE SUSPECTS FAMILY TO GET THE EVIDENCE THEY NEEDED. DNA TESTING HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE 1962 AND I'M GLAD THEY COULD USE IT TO SOLVE THIS CASE. IT MUST BE SO RELIEVING FOR THEM TO FINALLY KNOW WHO KILLED THEIR BROTHER. ITS NOT JUST ABOUT THE SUSPECT, ITS ABOUT THE FAMILY GETTING SOME KIND OF Closure 
Finally! Justice has caught up after all these years! I mean, can you imagine living without answers for that long? 
The fact that prosecutors worked with the family to gather more evidence and re-examine the case is just amazing. It's a great reminder that even when cases seem cold and unsolvable, determination and new technology can make all the difference 
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... like really, can you imagine being that close to finding closure and still not knowing who did it? Its crazy how far technology has come, I mean DNA testing can literally identify a match with someone decades later... its wild 
. Justice was definitely served here and Im glad the DA's office worked so hard to get answers for them 
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I mean, think about it... we're living in a world where DNA testing can connect us to our relatives after decades, and now we've got this guy who's 78 and still alive... what if he's not the only one? What if there are others out there who committed similar crimes and never got caught? It's like, our obsession with closure is so strong that we're willing to catch up with someone from the past no matter how old they are. And what about the family of this guy, 16 at the time... don't they deserve some answers too? The system worked, but it also created a whole new set of questions... 
. I mean can you even imagine not knowing who killed your sibling? 
78 yrs is young to be done with life, hope he's ready for whatever comes next 
. Glad the DA office was able to work with the fam to get to this point, shows they really care about justice 
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. It's amazing that the investigators were able to connect the dots using DNA and work closely with his relatives 
. I hope the suspect is finally brought to justice, but more importantly, I'm glad his family can finally get some closure 
. This just goes to show that with determination and new technology, even the toughest cold cases can be solved 
. I've got a chart right here showing the timeline of the investigation and how DNA evidence brought them closer to catching the suspect 
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. It's amazing to think about how much of a difference these advancements can make in justice being served 
. The arrest rate for cold cases has increased by over 300% since 2010, and it's all thanks to tech 
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! It just goes to show how much we've come as a society in terms of solving crimes and giving justice to victims and their families 
i feel so bad for the victim & his loved ones still affected by this event... but at least now we can close that chapter 
I'm surprised it took them so long to crack the case, like, 60+ years is way too long 
. But I guess new DNA evidence and working with the family helped speed things up. And good on 'em for finally getting closure for John Hartman's family - I can only imagine how frustrating it must've been not knowing who killed their brother all these years 
Still gives me chills thinking about that poor guy's family waiting all these years for justice 
They've been waiting for this day for like forever and it's finally here! The fact that investigators were able to work with the suspect's family to get DNA evidence is just amazing. It's like, a whole new world of forensic science now! 
. I'm glad the Bucks County DA office was able to keep me updated on this case, it's been ages since there were any new developments. Anyway, I hope John Hartman's family can finally find some peace now that the case is solved 
hope this brings some peace of mind to Mr. Hartman's brother and his fam 
But seriously, this is such an emotional rollercoaster for everyone involved... the family, the investigators, the prosecutors... it's all just so satisfying. And I'm sure John Hartman's brother would be grateful to know that justice has been served too.