DNA From Cigarette Leads To Arrest In 2009 Mahomet Murder

MAHOMET, IL — DNA testing played a major role in the Tuesday arrest of a man being charged in the 2009 murder of Holly Cassano. WAND reported police arrested 30-year-old Michael Henslick in the parking lot of Market Place Mall in Champaign, almost nine years after the 22-year-old woman was found dead in her Mahomet mobile home.

Henslick, who police said knew Cassano, is being charged in her Nov. 2, 2009 murder, when police discovered Cassano had been raped and stabbed 80 times, WAND said.

Police also said during a Wednesday press conference that once they connected Henslick to the 2009 murder, they followed him for two days in an effort to get a DNA sample, which was obtained through a discarded cigarette and sent to a genealogy company, WAND reported.

No more than 24 hours later, police had the results, and executed search warrants Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. WAND said according to police, Henslick is charged with four counts of first degree murder and his bond is set at $10 million.

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