The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office announced an arrest on May 2 in connection with a sexual battery that reportedly took place in 1993 thanks to DNA evidence confirming the identity of a suspect.
- Robert Lee Burton, 48, arrested
- Sexual battery reportedly took place on Jan. 21, 1993
- Burton facing one count of sexual battery with a deadly weapon
Officials said on Jan. 21, 1993, the woman who was attacked, then 37 years old, was walking home from a friend's house when she was confronted by a man with a handgun. The man ordered her to go behind a nearby mobile home, undress, and lay on the ground, then he reportedly raped her.
Detectives working the cold case in cooperation with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office identified Robert Lee Burton, now 48, as a suspect. When detectives interviewed Burton on May 2, he denied knowing the victim or having sexual intercourse with her.
However, DNA evidence collected at the scene during the 1993 investigation connected Burton to the crime. Burton was arrested around 9 p.m. on May 2 and transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
He faces one charge of sexual battery with a deadly weapon.