A Virginia Beach judge granted a $100,000 bond to a Connecticut man charged with capital murder and rape in a 40-year-old cold case, and the victim's family and friends say the decision is a miscarriage of justice.
Charles Randell Berry, 66, was released after Judge Stephen Mahan granted the bond last Thursday. The Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney's Office strongly opposed any bond for Berry.
Berry was arrested May 18 in Newington, Connecticut, in connection with the rape and murder of Roberta Walls, 22, whose body was found in a field behind Old Donation Elementary School in Virginia Beach on May 15, 1986. Walls had last been seen alive the night before at Bayside Public Library, across from where her body was found.
As a condition of his bond, Berry must wear a GPS monitor.
Close family friend Charles Miller said the decision has left those who loved Walls devastated.
"I want the whole world to know that Bobby was murdered 40 years ago and she's still being raped over the coals by the judicial system that should be protecting her," Miller said. "We're flabbergasted."
Miller described Walls' final hours before she was killed.
"Bobby had left her volunteer work at the library that evening, had come home, eaten, showered, changed clothes, went to a neighbor's house, had a few beverages, went from there to the 7-Eleven, made a phone call, and then she was abducted and murdered by this monster," Miller said.
Miller said the judge should be held accountable for granting the bond.
"It's wrong and that judge needs to be held accountable for his actions. … It's not fair to the citizens of Virginia Beach, nor our family. How many more times are we gonna get killed over this?" Miller said.
The Virginia Beach Police Department's Cold Case Squad led the investigation that resulted in Berry's arrest. In 2001, investigators developed a male DNA profile from evidence collected in the case, but no matches were found at the time.
In 2023, the Virginia Beach Police Department received grant funding that allowed investigators to pursue forensic genealogy leads. Through that process, investigators identified Berry as the suspect. Police said Berry was believed to be in the Navy at the time of the murder and lived near the crime scene.
A woman who identified herself as Berry's wife said over the phone that they are not interested in speaking with WTKR at this time.
Attempts to reach Judge Mahan were unsuccessful.
