Troy, NY --Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly and East Greenbush Chief Elaine Rudzinski announced today that the twenty-eight year old murder of Wilomena “Violet” Filkins has been solved.
Filkins was found deceased in her Coventry Lane apartment on August 19, 1994. The New York State Police (NYSP) and East Greenbush Police Department spent over twenty years investigating tips, as well as resubmitting evidence to the NYSP crime lab.
After a tip from a close acquaintance the NYSP and the East Greenbush Police headed to Rosendale, NY, where extensive interviews of family members, co-workers and friends were conducted. As police tried to interview the suspect, Jeremiah James Guyette, he quickly requested an attorney. The very next day, police were notified that Guyette had taken his own life.
After an autopsy, the deceased Guyette’s post mortem fingerprints and DNA were obtained and submitted to the NYSP for further comparison to the original evidence.
“Over the course of my career every time there was a changeover in our Detective bureau there was a promise made from one detective to another to never stop investigating this case in order to find justice for Violet and her family,” said Chief Elaine Rudzinski.
Jeremiah James Guyette has been identified as the suspect in the murder of Wilomeana “Violet” Filkins.
“Each and every lead counts when investigating crime,” said District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly, “no matter how small the detail, it could be useful in an investigation. In this, all of those leads brought us to Jeremiah Guyette.”
Wilomeana “Violet” Filkins
Suspect: Jeremiah James Guyette
DOB: 3/21/1976
DOD: 10/2/2019
