After nearly four decades, a family is one step closer to justice after a suspect was arrested for the 1986 murder of 18-year-old Lachelle “Shelly" Waite.
At 39 years, this is the Phoenix Police Department's oldest cold case homicide arrest.
On January 16, 1986, Shelly was found dead in her home near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road. Investigators found no forced entry into the house and believed she knew the suspect to some degree. Personal property was stolen from the home at the time of the murder.
Shelly worked in the Maryvale area and was a recent graduate of Maryvale High School where she participated in dance, choir and tutored students.
Detectives had a strong investigative lead at the time but didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest, and the case went cold.
“I've gotten close with Lachelle's family over the years and I've learned what an amazing person Shelly was," said Cold Case Detective Dominick Roestenberg. “She was beautiful inside and out. She was caring, kind and had an amazing future ahead of her."
In 2016, detectives with Phoenix PD's Cold Case Homicide Unit completed a full review of the investigation and identified a piece of evidence collected at the scene that could not be processed at the time of the homicide. The evidence was processed, and after additional advancements in technology, this evidence was finally submitted for advanced DNA testing in 2022.
After not giving up on this case for nearly a decade, attempting to locate witnesses, identifying evidence and collecting data, detectives identified 70-year-old Alfred Earl Green as the suspect in the homicide.
On February 20, 2025, while serving a sentence on an unrelated case, Green was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after detectives submitted the case to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
“Being able to finally let the family know, and also let the community know that after 39 years, we're still working on these cases, trying to get justice for them, for the victims and their families, speaks to what this unit is all about," Detective Roestenberg said.
The Phoenix Police Department would like to thank the initial responding officers, crime scene specialists and investigators, Cold Case Homicide Unit detectives, and Phoenix Crime Lab personnel for their incredibly hard work on this case over the past four decades.
Phoenix PD Arrests Suspect in 1986 Cold Case Murder
