MALDEN, Mass. — A man has been arrested for the 1991 murder of Malden teenager Patricia Moreno, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Wednesday. Rodney Daniels, 48, was indicted by a Middlesex Grand Jury on Wednesday for murder in connection to fatally shooting Moreno in the head on July 20, 1991, in Malden.
The fatal shooting happened outside a Henry Street apartment in Malden where Moreno lived with her foster family. Since 1991, police have been trying to figure out who murdered the 17-year-old while she smoked a cigarette on her third-floor fire escape.
“Psalms 130 says, ‘out of the depths I cry Lord hear my voice,’” Malden Police Chief Kevin Molis said. “I just could only think of that voice of Patricia crying out over the last 30 years, ‘someone hear my voice and don’t forget me,’ that did not happen.”
Inside the home were her foster mom and sisters along with Daniels, a boyfriend of one of the children. DA Ryan said Daniels shot her in the head but when interviewed before, claimed he had been sleeping.
“We do know in the weeks and months leading up to the day of the shooting, the allegations are there was a continuing threatening behavior allegedly on the part of Mr. Daniels and he had multiple handguns,” Ryan said.
Very few, if any, people still live there from 30 years ago, but residents nearby said they were there last year when a Cold Case Unit came to the fire escape to reconstruct the shooting scene.
“They were in and out of the doors taking pictures, going up the stairs,” said a neighbor, anonymously.
Police learned where the bullet came from and re-interviewed witnesses who provided just enough evidence for an arrest. We asked if there will be concerns proving this case after three decades.
“Obviously there are challenges with any homicide case, new or old, with respect to getting people in court, but we do not make an arrest unless we expect we are confident moving forward,” Ryan said.
“If you’re out there and you think you got away with something, remember today and remember we do not forget,” Chief Molis said. “We do our jobs today and for the next generation.”
Daniels was arrested in Georgia without incident on Monday. He will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court on Thursday.
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