On March 25, 2019 The murderer of Linda and Clifford had been identified. A co-worker of Linda's Cecil Caldwell. He was identified through Parabon Nanolabs using GEDMatch.Caldwell died in 2003, and can't be tried for his crime.
On Tuesday November 07, 1973 June Reich, Linda's mother, lived near the couple and came to visit them that morning at their home on 1116 Dorthy Lane in Billings Height, Montana. The couple had only lived there for a few weeks. The door of the house was locked when June showed up. She had found the brutal scene of her daughter and son in laws murder. The 24 year olds didn't seem to have any known enemy's.
On the night of November 06, 1973 the two had been bound by hand and feet and strangled.It is believed that the sexual assault on Linda was the main motive. He may have brought in the
Clifford was found laying in a pool of blood. Initially it was believed he died from the head wound, but after an autopsy was performed they found that he was also strangled to death. Linda was sexually assaulted and strangled to death in a different bedroom.
It is believed that the man had known the couple or at least one of them and had come over. He had fancied Linda and was determined to have her. Somehow he had gone to the bedroom with Clifford who was a Vietnam Veteran and bashed him over the head, bound him and then strangled him.
He then moved onto Linda and sexually assaulted her. He had also bound her hands and feet. Other bizarre acts may have been performed as a bowl of ice cubes was sitting next to her body. He had wrapped the cord around her neck several times and strangled her.
He opened up windows in both bedrooms and turned the furnace down all the way. The lowest temperature that night was 6 degrees. He then then took off all the binding and grabbed a suitcase from their home. He placed all of Linda's undergarments in the suitcase. He then left the house with the suitcase of undergarments and locked the door behind him. It is unknown what the binding was some newspapers reported that it was leather, but the police claim it's unknown.
DNA has been extradited, but there has been no match so far.
In November 2013, an anonymous person donated a $100,000 reward to someone who gives leads leading to an arrest and conviction.
SOURCES
https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/year-old-double-homicide-solved-sheriff-says/article_f4f04035-2f2b-518e-bf3f-bfe36b1a3d26.html?fbclid=IwAR2YbKsSgCDyq0yJdE9lIVy2em98llberBaGzTIldqhIDce2zPPb9RTMeVc#1
http://www.yellowstonecoldcase.com/Bernhardt.html
http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/linda-and-clifford-bernhardt/image_16835da9-7d14-5f2f-8914-0555a44d3fff.html
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14356149/linda_and_clifford_bernhardt_murder/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/?spot=14356133
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14356159/linda_and_clifford_bernhardt/
https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/year-old-double-homicide-solved-sheriff-says/article_f4f04035-2f2b-518e-bf3f-bfe36b1a3d26.html?fbclid=IwAR2YbKsSgCDyq0yJdE9lIVy2em98llberBaGzTIldqhIDce2zPPb9RTMeVc
ReplyDeleteI remember when this happened back in 1973 and I had followed the story over the years through the internet. Pretty amazing what they can do with DNA testing to solve these cold cases.
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