BROCKTON, Mass. — Decades later, authorities have identified the man involved in two heinous crimes in Brockton, a 1991 murder and a 1993 rape, thanks to DNA evidence and advanced genetic testing, the district attorney said Thursday.
Robert Carey, who had been living at the Brockton Veterans Administration Medical Center, died last June of natural causes, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said in a statement. He was 64.
Carey has been identified as the man who killed 28-year-old Cherie Bishop, 28, and sexually assaulted Donna Bell, Cruz said. The violent crimes happened in 1991 and 1993, respectively.
Over decades, the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton police have been investigating Bishop’s murder and the rape of Bell. Over time, both cases grew cold.
But recent forensic developments pointed to Carey.
“Their exhaustive investigative work, combined with a DNA sample match, identified Robert Carey as the perpetrator,” Cruz said of the crimes.
When the women were attacked, Carey lived in Brockton within a mile and a half of both crime scenes.
On June 25, 1991, Cherie Bishop was found strangled to death in Mulberry Park in Brockton, Cruz said. She was found nude and had been sexually assaulted.
Investigators interviewed witnesses, analyzed and tested evidence found at the crime scene, conducted DNA testing, and retested items as DNA science evolved and improved over the years.
On April 4, 1993, Donna Bell was walking on Annis Avenue in Brockton, and a white man driving a van grabbed her, Cruz said.
The unknown man held an electric wire across her face and told her to cooperate, or he would strangle her, Cruz said.
After sexually assaulting Bell, the man grabbed a sharp object. Fearing he was going to stab her, Bell grabbed the object, suffering slices into her right hand.
Bell jumped out of the van’s passenger side and screamed for help.
Two Brockton Police officers found the victim standing at the intersection of Ames and Interval streets in a state of distress.
Bell died nearly two decades later, in 2021. At the time of her death, her rapist had not been caught.
Samples taken from Bishop’s sexual assault kit produced a full, unknown male DNA profile, Cruz said. This evidence was uploaded into CODIS, the FBI’s program of criminal justice DNA databases used to link DNA profiles from crime scenes to convicted offenders and missing persons.
Samples taken from Bell’s sexual assault kit were also uploaded into CODIS, and a link was made between the two cases in 2016.
In March 2023, investigators enlisted the assistance of Texas-based Othram Research.
Othram’s technology enables local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and internationally to break through forensic DNA barriers and close previously unsolvable cases.
Othram creates a single-nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP “shot,” of a DNA profile and uses the SNP shot to place into various ancestry DNA websites, Cruz said.
On these websites, genealogists use the data to identify close family members of the unknown DNA sample.
Since investigators knew that the DNA from the Bishop homicide matched the DNA from the Bell rape, a sample of the DNA was tested by Othram.
In 2025, investigators conducted further reference testing.
Genetic reference testing and research conducted by the forensic genealogists at Othram identified a specific branch of a family tree, Cruz said.
Investigators then obtained personal items, which were forwarded to the MSP Crime Lab, and experts identified a Short Tandem Repeat, or STR profile.
This STR profile was then compared to the unknown suspect’s STR profile, Cruz said.
The MSP Crime Lab notified Cruz’s office that both were a statistical match to both Bishop’s DNA evidence and Donna Bell’s DNA evidence.
Cruz ordered further testing of any and all evidence linked to the case.
That testing corroborated investigators’ theory that Carey was responsible for the Brockton crimes, Cruz said.
The Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab matched Carey’s DNA with the sexual assault kits of both Bishop and Bell.
“For decades, the Bishop and Bell families were deprived of the full story of what happened to their loved ones,” Cruz said. “They carried these tragedies across lifetimes.
“Today, thanks to a multijurisdictional effort led by my office’s Unsolved Homicide Unit, we are finally able to identify the perpetrator who victimized Cherie Bishop and Donna Bell,” Cruz said.
“It was a lengthy process to identify Robert Carey, but it is my sincere hope that knowing his name and bringing his heinous actions to light will bring a sense of closure and peace to the Bishop and Bell families,” Cruz said.
“None of this would have been possible without the tremendous effort and devoted work of the Massachusetts State Police, Brockton Police, the State Police Crime Lab, Trooper Joe Collett, Assistant District Attorneys Samantha Mullin and Jennifer Sprague, as well as Forensic Scientist Krista Lundgren,” Cruz said.
Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble echoed his words.
“Today’s announcement reflects the unwavering dedication and expertise of the Massachusetts State Troopers assigned to the Plymouth County Unsolved Homicide Unit, and our team of Forensic Scientists,” Noble said.
“Their tireless pursuit of the truth has finally delivered long-overdue answers to the families of the victims,” Noble said. “I hope this outcome brings renewed optimism to other families still seeking justice. The Massachusetts State Police remain resolute in its commitment to pursue every case, follow every lead, and embrace new technology to achieve justice for victims of violent crime across the Commonwealth.”
The Unsolved Homicide Unit in Cruz’s office re-examines existing evidence and conducts further investigation using modern technologies and techniques.
Anyone with information on a homicide is urged to contact the hotline at 508-894-2584 or email the unit at: Plymouth.DA.Unsolvedhomicide@state.ma.us.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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