Man charged with murder in 1992 teacher aide’s death

BOSTON (AP) — A man has been charged with the 1992 killing of a middle school teacher's aide after testing confirmed that his DNA matched evidence found at the crime scene, authorities said Monday.

Gary Schara, of West Springfield, Massachusetts, was taken into custody in Connecticut and charged with the abduction, rape and killing of 24-year-old Lisa Ziegert, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni told reporters.

"Through the determined and skilled work of many investigators, we have arrested the person responsible for the heinous acts committed against Lisa and the 25-yearlong search for answer is over," Gulluni said.

Ziegert, of Agawam, was raped and stabbed after she disappeared from her night job at a card and gift store. Her body was found in a wooded area 4 miles away four days later.

Schara's arrest came after authorities decided to circle back to persons of interest in the case whose DNA profiles had never been run against evidence taken from Ziegert's body, Gulluni said. The district attorney said troopers attempted earlier this month to find Schara, who's been a person of interest since 1993, but he wasn't home.

The next day, a person close to Schara contacted police with information about handwritten documents in which he admitted raping and killing Ziegert, Gulluni said. Schara, 48, had fled to Connecticut and attempted to kill himself, Gulluni said.

Authorities found Schara at a Connecticut medical facility, where he was taken into custody on a fugitive-ofjustice charge. He appeared in a Connecticut court Monday and waived extradition to Massachusetts, local news outlets reported. It was not immediately clear whether Schara has an attorney.

The district attorney said officials "have a sense of why he did it" but did not provide details about a possible motive.