DA Cruz Announces Suspect In Previously Unresolved 1991 Homicide and 1993 Rape

Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120

            BROCKTON – Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz today announced that his office has developed information leading to a suspect in a previously unresolved 1991 murder case, and a 1993 rape case.

Since the violent crimes occurred back in the 1990s, Massachusetts State Police and Brockton Police have been investigating the murder of 28-year-old Cherie Bishop, and the sexual assault of Donna Bell in the City of Brockton. Their exhaustive investigative work, combined with a DNA sample match, identified Robert Carey as the perpetrator. Investigators found further information that during 1991 and 1993, 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, she was found nude and was sexually assaulted. Since the date of her murder, Massachusetts State Police (MSP) and Brockton Police have worked to solve this case. As part of the investigation, police 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 male driving a van grabbed her. The unknown male held an electric wire across her face and told her to cooperate or he would strangle her. After sexually assaulting her, the suspect grabbed a sharp object. Fearing he was going to stab her, she grabbed the object, sustaining slices into her right hand. She jumped out of the passenger’s side and screamed for help. Two Brockton Police officers found the victim standing at the intersection of Ames Street and Interval Street in a state of distress. Donna Bell passed away in 2021.

Samples taken from Cherie Bishop’s sexual assault kit produced a full, unknown male DNA profile, which 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 Donna Bell’s sexual assault kit were also uploaded into CODIS, and a link was made between the two cases in 2016.

In March of 2023, PCDAO enlisted the assistance of Texas-based Othram Research. Othram’s technology enables local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies across the United States and internationally, to break through forensic DNA barriers and close previously unsolvable cases. Othram creates a SNP “shot,” Single Nucleotide Polymorphism, of a DNA profile and use the SNP shot to place into various ancestry DNA websites. On these websites, genealogists use the data to identify close family members of the unknown DNA sample. Because the office 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, further reference testing was conducted by investigators. With this genetic reference testing, and research done by the forensic genealogists at Othram, a specific branch of a family tree was identified. Investigators then obtained personal items, which were forwarded to the MSP Crime Lab, and an STR profile was identified. This STR profile was then compared to the unknown suspect’s STR profile. The MSP Crime Lab notified the PCDAO that both were a statistical match to both Bishop’s DNA evidence and Donna Bell’s DNA evidence. DA Cruz ordered further testing of any and all evidence linked to the case. That testing corroborated investigators’ theory that this individual was the person responsible for these crimes, identified as Carey. The Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab matched Carey’s DNA with the sexual assault kits of both Bishop and Bell. In recent years, Carey had been residing at the Brockton Veterans Administration Medical Center, until his death in June, 2025, of natural causes. He was 64-years-old.

“For decades, the Bishop and Bell families were deprived of the full story of what happened to their loved ones,” DA 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. 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. 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.”

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said, “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. Their tireless pursuit of the truth has finally delivered long-overdue answers to the families of the victims. 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 PCDAO Unsolved Homicide Unit is dedicated to re-examining existing evidence and conducting further investigation using modern technologies and techniques. Anyone with information on a homicide, is urged to contact the hotline at 508-894-2584. People can also email the unit at: Plymouth.DA.Unsolvedhomicide@state.ma.us.

APRIL 23, 2026