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Convicted rapist already serving life charged with murder in 1989 Maryland cold case

Jail
James Clinton Cole
Posted at 11:21 AM, Mar 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-03-17 11:31:02-04

FORESTVILLE, Md. — The 33-year long search for Cynthia Rodgers' killer may finally be over.

Prince George’s County Police on Thursday announced murder charges against 64-year-old James Clinton Cole.

Rodgers was just 27-years-old when her body was found in a wooded area off Surrey Square Lane Service Road in Forestville.

The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, determining that she'd been strangled and sexually assaulted while suffering blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

On January 24, just three days before the 33-year anniversary of when Rodgers was found, detectives had evidence in the case retested.

Thanks to DNA technology advancements, results came back to a profile that positively matched Cole.

Turns out, Cole is already serving a lifetime prison sentence for an unrelated 2009 rape conviction in Charles County.

It's not believed he and Rodgers knew each other.

James Clinton Cole
James Clinton Cole