An Alabama man accused of killing an 11-year-old girl decades ago was arraigned on a first-degree murder charge Thursday, following an indictment by a grand jury.
Melissa Ann Tremblay, of Salem, New Hampshire, was found dead in the old Boston & Maine Railway Yard on September 12, 1988.
74-year-old Marvin “Skip” McClendon was arrested in April in connection with the cold case. He was indicted on a murder charge in June and has been held without bail.
Investigators said he has long been a “person of interest” in the girl’s murder.
Prosecutors said DNA evidence led officials to a group of people related to the defendant. Court documents show investigators interviewed several people with the same surname last year.
“Using various DNA advancements, the commonwealth was able to focus on the name McClendon,” prosecutor Jessica Strasnick said.
The sixth grader had been with her mother at the LaSalle Social Club in Lawrence, a block from the rail yard. She wandered out and was never seen alive again.
“He made the decision to take a life that night, for whatever reason, and he’s finally going to face a judge and jury for that decision,” a cousin of the victim said outside the courthouse on Thursday.
McClendon was working in carpentry at the time of the girl’s death. Officials said he worked for the Department of Corrections off and on between 1970 and 2002 before retiring and leaving Massachusetts.
Retired Lawrence police Detective Thomas Murphy said he is grateful for a break in a cold case he worked decades ago.
“It always bothered me. A young child. Somebody’s young child,” he said.
McClendon was ordered held without bail after Thursday’s hearing. His attorney would only say they intend to hold the prosecution to its high burden of proof.
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