Justice Served: 92-Year-Old Found Guilty of 1967 Murder and Rape

A 92-year-old man named Ryland Headley received a life sentence after being found guilty of the 1967 murder and rape of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne, marking one of Britain's oldest cold cases resolved through DNA technology.

A British court has delivered a life sentence to 92-year-old Ryland Headley for the murder and rape of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne, a case that remained unsolved for nearly six decades. The jury's verdict came down on Monday, July 1, 2025, following a renewed investigation by Avon and Somerset Police which reopened the cold case in 2023.

The turning point in the case occurred when law enforcement officials sent items, including Dunne's blue skirt, for forensic analysis in May 2024. Semen found on the skirt matched Headley’s DNA, which had been entered into the system after an unrelated incident in 2012. Police also confirmed that a palm print on Dunne's bedroom window was linked to Headley, leading to his arrest on November 19, 2023.

Detective Dave Marchant explained that Headley was not a suspect in the original 1967 investigation, which fingerprinted over 19,000 men. “Headley lived outside the area at that time,” noted Marchant. In a police video, Headley dismissively uttered "no comment" when questioned about Dunne’s murder.

Interestingly, Headley has a prior criminal history, having been convicted of two counts of rape in 1977, where he targeted elderly women in Ipswich. The current case has brought a mix of relief and shock to Dunne's family. Her granddaughter Mary Dainton expressed disbelief that justice was finally served, noting the profound emotional impact of Dunne's murder on her family, particularly her mother, who never recovered from the trauma of losing her parent.

As closure begins for the Dunne family, they hope that this development offers some peace after decades of uncertainty surrounding the brutal crime that shattered their lives.