A cup and straw thrown in the garbage at a Suffolk County smoothie café helped authorities solve a murder that has haunted Lynbrook for more than 40 years, authorities said on Wednesday.
Richard Bilodeau, 63, of Center Moriches — a former Walmart employee and self-described Mets and Dallas Cowboys fan on Facebook — was indicted Wednesday for the 1984 murder of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced at a press conference, where she stood side-by-side with the victim’s father Thomas Fusco.
“I’ll be by your side to the end,” Fusco interjected to Donnelly as she spoke of prosecuting Bilodeau in the days ahead.
Bilodeau, who lived with his grandparents on Tredwell Avenue a mile from the Hot Skates roller rink where Fusco worked at the snack bar, was arraigned before Judge Helene Gugerty on charges of second-degree murder — and second-degree murder during the course of a rape. He pleaded not guilty and was remanded without bill.
If he’s convicted, Bilodeau faces 25 years to life in prison. He is scheduled back in court on Nov. 21.
“[Bilodeau] said something very curious to us when we asked about Theresa,” Donnelly said. “Through his denials that he had ever known her name, who she was, he made … a flippant observation about the 1980’s,
“He said, ‘People got away with murder back then,'” the district attorney continued. “Well, let me tell you something, Mr. Bilodeau: It’s 2025 and I gotcha now.”
‘Heartbreaking’ process for thankful father
Thomas Fusco declined to comment on the case specifically, though he thanks the investigators for “all of their hard work” and looked forward to “the closure” that a prosecution may yield.
“It’s heartbreaking to go through this over and over again, but this seems like a finalization, and I am very grateful,” he said.
“I love her, and I miss her. She lives in my heart, as you can see,” he added, pulling a photo of his daughter from a pocket inside his jacket and showing reporters. “I never gave up hope. I always had faith in the system.”
Last seen alive leaving work and crying
Thomas Fusco’s daughter was last seen alive on Nov. 10, 1984, leaving Hot Skates in tears after being fired from her job at the snack bar. Her body was discovered nearly a month later, buried under leaves in a nearby wooded area. Investigators determined later she had been raped and strangled.
Three men were arrested and convicted in 1986, but their convictions were overturned in 2003 after DNA evidence excluded them. Two saw their charges dismissed, and a third was acquitted at retrial when advanced DNA testing failed to match him to samples taken from the victim’s body.
Investigators with the district attorney’s office and the FBI began surveilling Bilodeau in 2024 following the development of multiple investigative leads, Donnelly said.
DNA lifted from cup and straw
Last February, authorities recovered a cup and straw he had discarded at a Tropical Smoothie location in the Center Moriches area. DNA from the straw matched evidence collected from Fusco’s body in 1984.
“Bilodeau denies knowing Theresa, but science proves otherwise,” Donnelly said. “We believe that Bilodeau sexually assaulted and then murdered Theresa, strangling her with some sort of ligature and leaving her for dead.”
Donnelly lamented over the 2019 passing of Fusco’s mother, wishing she could have lived to see the day that her daughter’s killed was arrested. She noted that Fusco’s mother died the same year that Hot Skates closed for good.
Top images: (Main) Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announces the arrest of Richard Bilodeau in the 1984 murder of 16-year-old Theresa Fusco (YouTube). (Left inset) Murder suspect Richard Bilodeau (courtesy of NCDA). (Right inset) Murder victim Theresa Fusco of. Lynbrook (courtesy of NCDA).
