CHARLOTTE, NC — The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has charged a 59-year-old man in connection to a second sexual assault cold case from the mid-90s. Police say L.J. Bertha was re-arrested on Thursday after DNA testing identified him as the suspect.
The latest charges stem from a sexual assault that happened on July 30, 1994. Police say a 34-year-old woman was walking on Beatties Ford Road when Bertha approached and began talking to her.
Bertha then allegedly forced the victim to a dead-end road and sexually assaulted her while armed with a razor.
Police say the victim managed to escape and called for help at a nearby convenience store. She was treated at a nearby hospital and completed a sexual assault kit, which was initially tested in 1994.
Bertha, who is already facing charges related to another sexual assault cold case from 1995, was re-arrested Thursday. Police say he had been released from jail with an electronic monitor in connection to that previous crime.
On November 1, 1995, CMPD says a 16-year-old victim was walking towards a payphone in the area of Dunbar Street near Uptown to call her mom. Bertha allegedly began talking to her and offered to show her where the phone was.
Bertha then grabbed the victim’s arm, police say, and pulled her through some bushes to sexually assault her. Police say Bertha also took money from the victim before taking off.
The victim was reportedly treated at CMC and a sexual assault kit was completed and initially tested in 1996.
Bertha was charged with Second Degree Rape, First Degree Kidnapping, and Common Law Robbery in connection to the 1995 crime. He is now additionally charged with two counts of First Degree Rape and First Degree Kidnapping in connection to the 1994 case.
CMPD says additional testing on each kit was conducted in 2018 and 2019 as part of a federal grant, which allowed investigators to identify Bertha as the suspect in each case.
