Cold Cases Cracked

RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. (WOLO) — After six and a half years with no answers in a Midlands murder case, a veteran law enforcement officer finds a clue that changes everything. From the FBI to SLED to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, a fingerprinting analyst finds the one clue to solve a murder from 2005. Diane Bodie, who says she examines hundreds of latent fingerprints daily as part of RCSD’s Forensics team, stumbled upon perhaps one of the most rewarding finds of her decades-old career. She identified a print of one of three suspects, authorities say, were involved in the 2005 murder of Tony Corbitt. Police say it happened at Corbitt’s home in the Willow Creek Apartments on Bernadina Rd. He was reportedly assaulted, robbed and shot to death. Until earlier this month, his family didn’t know if those responsible would ever be apprehended. Bodie was given the task of taking a second look at the original evidence. With upgraded technology and an updated statewide database, a match was discovered. Bodie says the payoff of a family receiving closure after so many years, is priceless. The one thing about the case she regrets, though, is not being present to witness the arrest of the three suspects, all of whom are in jail and face murder charges.