FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A 2013 cold case from Connecticut has been cracked in South Florida.
Forty-nine-year-old John Shepard was taken into custody on Saturday with help from the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Fort Lauderdale Police.
Officials said new tips led to the arrest after a local Connecticut TV station aired a story featuring the cold case.
According to Old Saybrook Police, Shepard was booked into the Broward County Jail.
Investigators said the suspect was driving under the influence back in July 2013 when he crashed his car. They said his girlfriend, Leah Coleman, was in the vehicle.
Coleman was transported to an area hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
After her death, officials said, Shepard’s charges were upgraded to first-degree manslaughter, but when police went to serve him, he had disappeared.
Shepard is currently being held on an out-of-state warrant with no bond. He will eventually be extradited back to Connecticut.
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