Middlesex DA updates Somerville council on progress in long-unsolved murders, announces recent indictment

Middlesex District Attorney Ryan told the Somerville City Council on Tuesday that her officehas recently obtained a murder indictment in one long-unsolved case and has identified another person of interest after renewed investigative work by the office's cold-case unit.

The announcement came during a council meeting called so the DA could brief the body on two long-standing Somerville killings: the unsolved 1995 death of Deanna Cremin and the decades-old murder of Charlene Rosemond. The DA said the office's cold-case unit, created in 2019, has now brought answers to 10 families countywide and that recent work led to an indictment this week in the Rosemond matter.

The DA described how cold-case investigations typically progress, saying breakthroughs often come from new witness cooperation or changing circumstances rather than a single forensic discovery. "We probably much more often, it is the result of the passage of time. People who were confidantes or girlfriends or significant others at one point aren't in that relationship anymore; they're much more willing to talk about what they know," Ryan said. She added that while genealogical tools and new testing methods can help, the majority of solved cold cases rest on "good, solid, investigative work."

Family members and friends spoke to the council after the DA's remarks. Rosalie Rosemond, the sister of Charlene Rosemond, said the family received a phone call this week informing them of the indictment and that, while the news is bittersweet, it has begun an "important process of accountability." Catherine Cremin, identified as Deanna Cremin's mother in remarks to the council, thanked investigators for ongoing work and said she remains hopeful the case will be solved.

Several councilors pressed the DA about case management and transparency. Councilor Klingen said the distinction between a case being actively worked and a case assigned to the cold-case unit is important to families; the DA replied that cases older than six years are generally handled as "uncharged or cold cases" and that the chief of homicide had maintained long-term involvement in Cremin's case while the cold-case unit collaborates closely. "That is a distinction without a difference," she said, explaining that the chief of homicide and the cold-case unit coordinate the work.

Councilors also asked about DNA testing limits and the use of forensic genealogy. The DA explained technical constraints: usable DNA must be of sufficient quantity and preserved appropriately, labs must retain testable samples for defense review, and forensic genealogy is one of several investigative tools that can provide leads to relatives who then become the focus of further traditional investigative steps. "When you use forensic genealogy, it's the first step in a very, very long process," she said.

Council members and others who spoke thanked the DA and her team for their work. Several called on residents who might hold relevant information to come forward to police, and the DA reiterated that public tips and new witness cooperation remain vital to progress in long-unsolved cases.

The council accepted the DA's presentation and the item was placed on the record; the council then recessed briefly.