HOUSTON – A man has been arrested and charged in connection with a woman's death more than 10 years ago.
Craig Demetrius Porter, 41, has been charged with murder.
Harris County sheriff's deputies said DNA taken while Porter was in jail last summer matched DNA taken from a September 2002 crime scene.
Investigators said 22-year-old Cherita Thurman's body was found dumped along Aldine Bender. She was nude, tied up with sheets and had been severely beaten, detectives said. She was killed at her apartment, officials said.
"We still wonder why he did this. Cherita was a very loving person," said her mother, Arvis. "We did not deserve this as a family for him to take her life like he did. He didn't have to do it.
Porter was arrested on Tuesday. He has denied knowing Thurman or having anything to do with her death, deputies said.
Sheriff Adrian Garcia resurrected the Cold Case Unit shortly after taking office in January 2009. The three-person unit has solved 17 dormant cases.