A 55-year-old man has been convicted of the capital murder and rape of a 78-year-old grandmother, Mary Hauge Kelly, whose body was discovered under her bed in January 1989 in Dallas. David Rojas was sentenced to life in prison after a jury deliberated for just two hours.
Kelly, who lived alone, was found strangled and sexually assaulted in her Oak Cliff home on January 19, 1989. Her vehicle and personal items had been stolen, but the case went cold after no suspects were identified. Despite initial DNA testing in 2004, the breakthrough came in 2022 when Othram Inc. created a family tree from DNA found at the crime scene. This led to the identification of Rojas.
Rojas’s DNA, collected through a covert method in Del Rio, Texas, matched the evidence. The investigation revealed that Rojas’s father lived next door to Kelly at the time of the murder. A previous sexual assault charge against Rojas in 1987 further linked him to the crime.
The case was complicated by the presence of DNA from another male on possible murder weapons. However, the State presented a strong case, with testimony from DA Investigator Jon Wakefield, leading to Rojas’s swift conviction. Rojas was sentenced under 1989 laws, which allowed for the possibility of parole.
