Los Angeles:  An arrest has been made in a 1996 cold case murder investigation.

On December 22, 1996, 36-year-old Barbara Burnside was found bludgeoned to death in the backyard of a residence in the 1400 block of West 59th Place in 77th Area.  She was found partially nude, the apparent victim of a sexual assault.  Numerous witnesses in the neighborhood were questioned, including the owner of the house where the victim was found, but none could offer any viable leads as to who committed the crime. 

At the time of her murder, Barbara Burnside resided in the 1400 block of West 59th Street and had been last seen the evening of December 21, 1996, when she left home to walk to a local dry cleaner.  According to the victim’s family, Ms. Burnside had suffered some mental disabilities as a result of a prior assault during which she had been severely beaten.   

LAPD Detectives Tim Marcia and Vivian Flores of the Robbery-Homicide Division Cold Case Homicide Unit examined the case and requested an analysis of the sexual assault kit obtained from the victim.  A full DNA profile was obtained and the information uploaded into the Combined Offender DNA Index System (CODIS).  As a result of the analysis, a “cold hit” was obtained on suspect Enrico Mellon, a 49-year-old Los Angeles resident.  An investigation into Mellon’s background revealed that he was the son of the woman who was living at the address where the victim’s body was discovered.  The detectives’ investigation culminated in the arrest of Enrico Mellon on August 4, 2005.

As a result of the investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed a murder charge against Enrico Mellon on August 5, 2005.  Enrico Mellon is being held without bail at the Los Angeles County Jail pending arraignment.

Any questions may be directed to the LAPD Media Relations Section at 213-485-3586.