The prime suspect in a 1994 killing in Austin, Texas, was identified using DNA testing, but the suspect committed suicide before he was arrested, police announced Thursday.

On May 12, 1994, Bert Mann was found dead in his home from multiple stabbing wounds. Evidence at the time suggested the suspect had forced his way inside the house before Mann came home from work, police said.
Police also recovered blood from the suspect, but had no matches.

New DNA testing done in March 2023 by the Bode Technology laboratory turned up a new suspect in June, Kenneth Robbins, who police accuse of killing Mann. 

On Sept. 8, 2023, police searched a Lubbock, Texas, long haul trucking business to acquire Robbins’ DNA, according to KXAN-TV. On Sept. 13, after the truck company called police to report that Robbins’ truck had not moved from a Weatherford, Texas, rest stop, police found Robbins dead.

Robbins had committed suicide, police said. 

Police confirmed the match between the blood found at the scene and Robbins, and had written an arrest warrant for capital murder for him before his death, APD Cold Case Unit Sgt. Melanie Rodriguez told KVUE-TV.

“Mr. Mann is survived by his wife and his sister and they are happy enough to have an answer as to the who. I don’t know that they will ever have an answer as to why. And I don’t know, quite honestly, if any of those answers would ever be sufficient for their grief,” Sgt. Rodriguez told KVUE-TV.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.