Closure for family of cold case murder victim after 36 years of uncertainty

Writer: Camila Pereira
Published: Updated:
cold case
CREDIT: CCSO

WINK News has been given a look at advances in crime-fighting technology that authorities used to give them crucial help to solve a nearly four-decades-old murder.

In November 1988, Robert Hecht was found in his home on Rio Togas Road in Charlotte County with multiple wounds to the back of his head.

For 36 years, Hecht’s murder went unsolved.

CREDIT: WINK News

What made it so difficult was that detectives couldn’t identify one of the possible suspects.

According to witnesses, the unidentified man was the last person to be seen with Hecht back in 1988.

With new methods in DNA testing and matching, investigators found their man with the evidence they already had.

Closure was brought to the family of the late 58-year-old Hecht’s family by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office’s cold case unit.

“Friends went to the house and observed what they thought was a body lying on the couch,” said Kurt Mehl, a detective for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office’s cold case unit. “They reported that to the sheriff’s department, and the investigation began. At the time, there were a substantial number of suspects in this case, and there was an exhaustive investigation, including trying to determine who Ray was.”



According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, both Robert and Ray were last seen at an Oyster Bar in Fishermen’s Village.

Robert told one friend they were going to one more bar before heading home. Investigators could not identify Ray at the time, but with some help from evidence found in Robert’s home and car and advancements in DNA tech, detectives found their guy.

Evidence collected was reexamined and matched with genealogical DNA information, which all pointed to Kenneth Ray Miller.

cold case
CREDIT: CCSO

“One of the things that was found in the car was a cigarette butt; Mr. Hecht did not smoke,” said Mhel, “and this is a brand-new car, his pride and joy, and he did not let anyone smoke his car. Why that was interesting to us in 2021 because at the scene, Mr. Hecht was found lying face down on his couch, and he had been murdered by the use of the ashtray, a big heavy ashtray that was found in the house.”

Miller died back in 2006, and while he isn’t alive to do time for the crime, Hecht’s family has their long sought-after answers.

“I talked to his sister; she was obviously very happy to have the case resolved,” said Mike Vogel, a detective for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, “and thankful for all the work that cold case put into the investigation.”

Mehl told WINK News at the end of the day, a cold case is a cold case for a reason, so they cannot guarantee a successfully sovled case for everyone.

However, it won’t keep them from trying as they did for Hecht and his family, who can now live with the closure they’ve needed for almost 40 years.

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