Sergeant John Elliott
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Our projectile that was recovered from Vicki Belk was later tested with another robbery case that occurred in the same area because that type of gun was found in the robbery and the shooting. But that projectile stayed with that evidence from that robbery case, and that evidence later got destroyed. So we did not have that projectile.
Our projectile that was recovered from Vicki Belk was later tested with another robbery case that occurred in the same area because that type of gun was found in the robbery and the shooting. But that projectile stayed with that evidence from that robbery case, and that evidence later got destroyed. So we did not have that projectile.
So our lab director, Noelle Gurman, learns about the MVAC instrument. And in reviewing our cold cases, she believed that Vicky's dress was a good piece of evidence which the MVAC could be used for. June of 2022, we outsourced it to another lab that had that instrument. They processed the dress for us, gave us the filters. The filters were later processed for DNA.
So our lab director, Noelle Gurman, learns about the MVAC instrument. And in reviewing our cold cases, she believed that Vicky's dress was a good piece of evidence which the MVAC could be used for. June of 2022, we outsourced it to another lab that had that instrument. They processed the dress for us, gave us the filters. The filters were later processed for DNA.
We obtained a full profile from those filters.
We obtained a full profile from those filters.
I'll never forget, I was on a search warrant in another county, and she called me, but I was in the middle of a search warrant. I couldn't answer the phone, so I texted her back right away, and I said, call you in a few. She texted, OMG, OMG, Belk, with exclamation points. I called her, and she's like, we got a name. And I remember it was yesterday.
I'll never forget, I was on a search warrant in another county, and she called me, but I was in the middle of a search warrant. I couldn't answer the phone, so I texted her back right away, and I said, call you in a few. She texted, OMG, OMG, Belk, with exclamation points. I called her, and she's like, we got a name. And I remember it was yesterday.
That was one of the unique calls you'll never forget.
That was one of the unique calls you'll never forget.
Well, the first thing I thought, she told me the name Andre Taylor, and I said, I know that name is not in the case file. And I had no idea who this guy was. Sometimes in these cold cases, it's not a surprise that whoever the perpetrator is, their name's in the case file. They get either interviewed or it's a family member or someone along those lines.
Well, the first thing I thought, she told me the name Andre Taylor, and I said, I know that name is not in the case file. And I had no idea who this guy was. Sometimes in these cold cases, it's not a surprise that whoever the perpetrator is, their name's in the case file. They get either interviewed or it's a family member or someone along those lines.
This guy was completely stranger to this case file. Never heard or seen his name anywhere.
This guy was completely stranger to this case file. Never heard or seen his name anywhere.
Since Vicky's murder, he had two other murder arrests, a lot of drug-related arrests, and just been in and out of the criminal justice system up until his 50s. But the initial information I was finding in my databases, we still didn't have a correlation to Charles County.
Since Vicky's murder, he had two other murder arrests, a lot of drug-related arrests, and just been in and out of the criminal justice system up until his 50s. But the initial information I was finding in my databases, we still didn't have a correlation to Charles County.
Everything was in Washington, D.C., and then when I got all his arrest reports, he had this stolen vehicle report from May of 1979. He gives his home address in Bryan's Road, which I later determined to be four miles away from where Vicky was found. So that was our connection.
Everything was in Washington, D.C., and then when I got all his arrest reports, he had this stolen vehicle report from May of 1979. He gives his home address in Bryan's Road, which I later determined to be four miles away from where Vicky was found. So that was our connection.
The ballistics examination back then by the experts indicated, and they gave the opinion that it was a .32 caliber revolver. However, no gun was found at the scene, nothing. We didn't know anything about that. The following March, Andreas Taylor is arrested with a .32 caliber revolver.
The ballistics examination back then by the experts indicated, and they gave the opinion that it was a .32 caliber revolver. However, no gun was found at the scene, nothing. We didn't know anything about that. The following March, Andreas Taylor is arrested with a .32 caliber revolver.