Alfred Earl Green, a 70-year-old man, was arrested by the Phoenix Police force on Thursday, Feb. 21 as a suspect for a first-degree murder committed four decades ago. Lachelle “Shelly” Jeannine Waite was killed in her home in 1986 by strangulation, at only 18 years old.
While Green was a suspect in the case at the time, the court lacked enough evidence to convict him.
The Phoenix Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit decided to reopen this case in 2016 and in 2022 were able to recover a piece of evidence. The unit was then able to use advanced DNA testing to discover the true killer.
At the time of the 2025 arrest, Green was “serving a life sentence at the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry,” according to CNN, due to the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Yolanda Taylor, in 1988.
Back in January, Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the creation of the Phoenix Police Department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, with the hopes that new and advanced technology and fresh sets of eyes will uncover mysterious crimes and homicides. The unit has already been successful.
The unit’s current goal is to focus on five significant cold cases: the deaths of Melody Harrison, Jennifer Sue Lueth, Diana Lynn Shawcroft, Leslie Karen Good, Victoria Lacey and Sabino Lopez, according to Arizona’s Family 3TV and CBS 5.
When Green appeared in front of a judge in Maricopa County Superior Court on Thursday, “prosecutors accused him of strangling the victim to death, stealing jewelry and a gun from the residence and ‘(selling) them immediately after the murder,’” CNN stated.
In response to these allegations, Green reportedly claimed, “I know she did a lot of lying,” referring to the prosecutor.
Detective Dominick Roestenberg, who worked on this case, stated in the press release that, “Being able to finally let the family know, and also let the community know that after 39 years, we’re still working on these cases, trying to get justice for them, for the victims and their families, speaks to what this unit is all about,” and went on to say that, “She was beautiful inside and out. She was caring, kind and had an amazing future ahead of her.”
“This unit reflects my commitment to ensuring that justice is not forgotten or abandoned, no matter how much time has passed… Justice has no expiration date,” Mayes stated.
“This is about more than solving crimes—it’s about providing justice for the victims and their families. Every cold case represents a life that mattered and a story that deserves to be told.”
jamabil3@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of CNN
