After 25 years, the man responsible for brutally murdering Terence Paquette, 31, has been arrested.
Kenneth Robert Stough Jr. was arrested Tuesday after investigators used blood samples from the 1996 crime scene and matched it to discarded beer cans.
The brutal murder occurred February 3, 1996 inside a convenience store in Central Florida. Stough stabbed Paquette, the store’s manager, 73 times. His throat was also slit.
Stough also managed to empty the cash register.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said that during the attack, Stough cut himself and left blood at the scene.
The investigators that night collected the samples, but never found a match.
“I really give kudos to the amazing evidence techs that responded to that crime scene, that night, and had the forethought to process every single thing in the crime scene,” Public safety expert and former deputy James Copenhaver said, according to reports.
The case went cold, but in 2003 it was reopened and the DNA was entered into CODIS. But still, no match.
In 2019, the case was looked at again and with newer technology investigators were able to narrow their focus on three brothers. Eventually they focused their attention on Stough.
WTSP reported that investigators followed Stough, who at the time of the murder lived “in close proximity” to Paquette, to a gas station and watched him throw away several beer cans.
They were able to match the DNA from the discarded beer cans to the samples of blood.
Stough was charged with first-degree murder with a weapon.
Officials said that even though none of Paquette’s relatives are alive, they were able to contact some of his friends to let them know justice was being served.
“I think it’s important to remind our public again, remind our survivors and the families of all of our victims out there — we never ever forget about these cases. We continue to work these cases,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said.
After 25 years I’m glad those who knew Terence can get some closure.
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