Gruesome Valentine’s Day rape and murder finally solved after 40 years of mystery

On Valentine’s Day, 1985, a student was violently raped and murdered as she baked a cake. Her killer was never found – until now. WARNING: Graphic

Warning: Graphic

On Valentines Day 1985, Terri McAdams had spent the morning making a special love heart shaped cake for her fiance.

Excitedly opening the door to his apartment, the university student had planned to leave his sweet surprise in the fridge as a treat while he was out of town on business.

The 22-year-old happily called her sister while still at her fiance’s house, telling her all about what she had done, with the pair chatting about their Valentine’s Day plans.

After hanging up, she had planned to just head on home and have a relaxing Thursday evening, eagerly awaiting for her love to come back to town.

But sadly, she would never see him again.

Terri was baking a cake for her fiance for Valentine's Day. Picture: Supplied

Just moments after saying goodbye to her sister, a dangerous intruder broke into her fiance’s apartment in Arlington, Texas, sneakily entering through a sliding-glass door connected to one of the bedrooms.

The monster viciously beat, violently raped and callously murdered the young woman, leaving her body in cold blood alone inside the property.

The scene was gruesome, with reports at the time stating her body was discovered later by a maintenance worker in the corner of the bedroom, her face “battered beyond recognition”.

Dying in horrific circumstances, her official cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

Her attacker fled the scene and despite police efforts, his identity was never able to be revealed

Until now.

Almost 40 years after Terri’s horrific rape and murder, cold case detectives have finally confirmed that they have definitively found the man responsible for her gruesome death.

The apartment where the horror crime took place. Picture: Arlington Police

Terri was brutally murdered in her fiance's home. Picture: Supplied

Finding a killer

Using a mix of modern forensic technology and investigative genetic genealogy – which combines crime scene DNA with genealogical research – detectives were miraculously able to have a break in the case after four decades of mystery.

“We finally get to provide answers that the department has wanted to provide for nearly 40 years,” Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said in a press conference.

Detectives and the FBI reopened the case in 2021 and using new technologies, were able to build a DNA profile of the suspect using physical evidence collected at the crime scene.

However, no matches were found in the FBI’s national database of convicted offenders, so detectives decided to try another technique involving DNA and genealogy research.

After several months, investigators identified a possible suspect, and with a DNA sample from one of his relatives, were able to positively identify the killer.

“IGG (investigative genetic genealogy) as we call it, combines unidentified crime scene DNA with meticulous genealogy research and the use of historical public records to identify new leads,” said Chad Yarbrough, a special agent with the FBI Dallas Office.

Police collecting evidence from the crime scene, which would be vital in later finding the killer. Picture: Arlington Police

Investigators explained that genealogists were able to track down a distant relative, whose DNA that had once been uploaded to genealogy sites such as ‘Ancestry’ or ‘23andMe’, helped to track down the name of the killer: Bernard Sharp.

Police do not believe that Terri knew the man who heartlessly took her life, instead chalked it up to be simply an unfortunate crime of opportunity.

Sharp, then aged 30, lived nearby to Terry’s fiance and had at least one unrelated arrest and a criminal history of sexual assault.

He had actually been questioned by police at the time of the crime due to his history and proximity to the murder, but frustratingly, there was not enough evidence back then to link him to the slaying.

“Over the years, it would be easy to lose faith and accept that this case might never be solved,” Chief Jones said at the news conference.

“But Terri’s family never gave up hope and our detectives never wavered.

“Now, we get to provide answers that this department has wanted to provide for nearly four decades.”

Bernard Sharp raped and murdered Terri in 1985. Picture: Arlington Police

The meticulous collection of DNA at the crime scene proved to be vital in breaking the case, even all these years later.

“The employees who worked the case in 1985 were very thorough and collected a lot of physical evidence that would later prove to be vital in where we are at today,” said Arlington Police Det. Devon Coffer.

This new technology has been used to crack hundreds of decades-old cold cases, giving hope to the families of the victims of violent crime who are still waiting on answers.

Bittersweet closure

Nine months after the unthinkable crime in November 1985, Sharp took his own life in a double murder-suicide, where he shot his estranged wife and her best friend before turning the gun on himself.

While he will never be held accountable for his crimes, Terri’s family have said they are thankful to finally get the answers they have been hoping for since 1985.

Her shocking death rocked the community. Picture: Supplied

“She was feisty and fun, and she truly loved life,” Terri’s sister Karen Hooper said.

“To know her was to love her. As I stand here today, I know that she and my mom and dad are smiling down on this miraculous moment.”

Former Dallas Morning News reporter Karin Anderson, who is now the host of The Reporter’s Notebook podcast, has dedicated years to covering cold cases in Texas, with a special interest in Terri’s murder.

Over the years, she has spoken to the family many times about the young woman’s tragic death.

“Families that are waiting for answers are completely dependent on the evolution of technology,” said Ms Anderson, who stated that genetic testing is a “game-changer”.

Her family is grateful to finally have closure. Picture: Supplied

“We’re just hoping that as things progress technology-wise, it will become less expensive to do this type of advanced testing and get answers to families.

“But as police departments are able to come up with the resources to pay for this testing, there’s more hope than ever to get these cases solved.”

Frustratingly, Terri’s killer will never face punishment for his sickening crimes and police confirmed no charges will be laid in relation to the incident.

Despite this, her family is thankful to have closure.

“We hope that our story is going to provide that same level of hope to other families,” Hooper said.

“We kind of thought this day might never come, but thanks to these detectives and thanks to genetic genealogy, it worked.”