After decades, suspect finally arrested in 1990 killing of 11-year-old California boy
A 50-year-old man was arrested in connection with the death of William Tillett, who went missing one afternoon nearly three decades ago and was later found dead
William Tillett was only 11 when he was kidnapped while walking home from school in Inglewood, Calif., on May 24, 1990. The boy was later found dead in a residential neighborhood in the City of Hawthorne, and now almost 30 years later, police may have found a break in the case.
According to Los Angeles station KTLA, Tuesday, Inglewood police confirmed in a news release that a man was arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder.
CHILD HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION – CASE UPDATE pic.twitter.com/956BfgT9JF
— Inglewood Police (@Inglewood_PD) February 20, 2019
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On Feb. 14, Edward Donell Thomas of Pomona, Calif., was arrested and charged with murder, although it remains unclear what led investigators to identify Thomas as a suspect.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office classified the case as a special circumstances murder and a “felon in possession of a firearm.”
An Inglewood Police Department news release says the Thomas, 50, is being held at an Inglewood jail. Bail was set at $3,000,000. His case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Feb. 19.
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Despite the decades that have passed since the murder took place, authorities are hoping that this new arrest will prompt new leads to come forward. They are asking anyone with information was asked to contact Inglewood PD homicide detectives at 310-412-5246, or call the 24-hour anonymous tip line at 888-412-7463.
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