Killer In Springfield Woman's Cold Case Murder Identified: DA

SPRINGFIELD, MA — Two men walking through Gurdon Bill Park 31 years ago happened upon the body of 24-year-old Celestina Perez's body at the bottom of a ravine.

The mother of four had been strangled to death by a killer whose identity has remained a mystery until now.

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"Following extensive investigative work, including the use of cutting-edge forensic testing, led by the Unresolved and Unidentified Case Investigation Unit of the Hampden District Attorney's Office, Springfield Police Department, and with support of the Massachusetts State Police, the homicide investigation into Perez's death is now officially closed," the D.A.'s office said in a media release that named Joseph James Ceravolo Jr. as Perez's killer.

Ceravolo died in 2013 at the age of 50.

"Although we may never know every detail of what happened that night or what motivated this brutal act, the evidence establishes that Joseph James Ceravolo Jr. assaulted and killed Celestina Perez in the early morning hours of June 2, 1995," Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said in the release.

"If Ceravolo were alive today, he would be charged with the murder of Ms. Celestina Perez," Gulluni said.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni announced today that Joseph James Ceravolo Jr. has been identified as the person responsible for the 1995 murder of Celestina Perez.

Ceravolo died in 2013 at the age of 50.

Following the discovery of Perez's body June 2, 1995, Springfield police investigators "observed evidence that a violent struggle had begun near the top of the ravine and continued down the slope, with Perez being dragged at times to where her body was found," the release said.

"Blood was documented on twigs, foliage, and soil along the slope, and two buttons believed to have been torn from her blouse were recovered," according to the release. "Her right shoe was found along a park path approximately four feet from her body."

The thorough documentation of the crime scene "ultimately allowed investigators to reexamine the evidence using forensic technology that was not available in 1995," the release said.

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