BEAUMONT, Texas — After nearly three decades of waiting, a Beaumont family finally feels relief after jurors found Clayton Foreman guilty of capital murder in the death of Mary Catherine Edwards.
The Beaumont teacher was found dead inside her townhouse in 1995.
Advances in DNA evidence and genetic genealogy led police to the killer. The verdict came after 29 years of waiting, 7 days of testimony and 50 minutes of deliberation.
It was truly a team effort, according to District Attorney Keith Giblin.
"The evidence detailed a journey of law enforcement, the Beaumont Police Department, the Texas Rangers and assistant agencies who from the day Catherine was tragically murder never relinquished their duty and personal drive to catch the person who killed Catherine," he said.
An Edwards family spokesperson told 12News it's "...been a long, emotional journey to finally see justice and closure."
The prosecution's case revolved around new DNA testing on evidence that had been carefully preserved since 1995. The Texas Rangers got involved in 2021 and sent it to a private lab for testing.
Then a DNA profile for the suspect was created. Beaumont Police Detective Tina Lewallen and her husband used genetic genealogy to build a family tree.
Genetic genealogist Shera Lapoint's father-in-law was caught up in the case. She helped police close in on Foreman. She testified last week and was at court today as the verdict was read.
"I think it was an amazing team effort... this works. This is the crime-fighting tool of the future, the genetic genealogy... and it's speaking for the victims...who cannot for themselves. And we heard them talking about making sure Catherine was never forgotten. She wasn't and she'll never be forgotten. I'll never forget her for sure," Lapoint said.
With the capital murder conviction, Foreman automatically faces life in prison. The death penalty was off the table.
Prosecutors say Edwards' murder shared alarming similarities to a 1981 sexual assault case involving Foreman. Jurors heard from that victim as well.
Prosecutors told the jury not to ignore the evidence and not to let Edwards down. They wanted the jury to hold Foreman responsible for what he did.
12News spoke with a juror, Larry Delcambre, a pastor from Port Neches, after the trial was over. He says that he and his fellow jurors were comfortable with the verdict that was reached.
It only took the jury 52 minutes to reach the unanimous guilty verdict.
"How can you deny? You can't deny that," Delcambre said.
He says it was the DNA evidence that led him and the rest of the jury to a quick conviction. He even thanked law enforcement for laying the pieces out so clearly.
"About the work they had done, and put in to make our decision," he said "Felt good about the decision we made, there wasn't any doubt about what had happened... happened."
Jurors also heard from Edwards' twin sister, Allison Brocato.
"I called and my dad answered the phone, and he was frantic….he said your sister is dead.. your sister is dead," Brocato testified in court.
Her testimony, along with the testimony of Foreman's former victim, affected the jury.
"That twin sister was an incredible testimony to know that she lost her twin was just really difficult. And the lady who had been raped all those years ago, her lack of justice for many years was very difficult for us," said Delcambre.
Six men and six women who felt with listening to all the facts, that they made the best decision for the family, and that justice was served almost 30 years later.
"It was a tough case it was really. You had to listen to everything to make sure everything was put together. We did that, we did," Delcambre told 12News.
He says he never thought he would get picked to serve on a jury in a case this significant. But that he was happy to issue just a bit of justice for the family.