Theresa Fusco, 16, was raped and murdered in 1984, and now prosecutors say DNA evidence has led them to the real killer.

“I only loved her, and I miss her. That’s all I can say. She lives in my heart," said Thomas Fusco, Theresa's father.

The death of Theresa Fusco, of Lynbrook, has been a mystery for decades.

Three men were convicted of killing the 16-year-old, but those convictions were later overturned.

Now prosecutors charged 63-year-old Richard Bilodeau, of Center Moriches, for her murder.

Police and the FBI began surveilling Bilodeau in 2024, eventually obtaining his DNA from a cup and a straw from a smoothie he drank.

They say his DNA matched the DNA found on Theresa Fusco's body.

He was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of second-degree murder.

Prosecutors tell News 12 Bilodeau denied knowing Theresa when he was questioned over the summer.

“He said, 'People got away with murder back then.' Well, let me tell you something Mr. Bilodeau, it’s 2025 and I got you now," said Anne Donnelly, Nassau County District Attorney.

Prosecutors say Theresa Fusco was leaving her job at a roller rink on the night of Nov. 10, 1984. She then went missing, and three and half weeks later, her body was found on Dec. 5 in a wooded area near Park Place in Lynbrook, about a half mile from her home.

The district attorney says Theresa was raped and strangled to death.

The DA would not go into detail about why they started investigating Bilodeau.

In court, Bilodeau pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.

“This county tried three different individuals, convicted them. Ultimately, years later, they were exonerated after the county dug in and tried another individual. There’s a ton of stuff for us to go through it’s going to take some time," said Dan Russo, Bilodeau's defense attorney.

Prosecutors say Bilodeau lived in Lynbrook in 1984 in his grandparents' house on Tredwell Avenue, a mile away from the Fusco home and the roller rink where she worked, called "Hot Skates."

A neighbor who asked not to be shown says she remembers Bilodeau and would tell her kids to stay away from him.

The DA's office says Bilodeau has lived a quiet life, working at a Walmart in Suffolk.

When asked about potential motive, the DA said she did not want to speculate.

Theresa's father was grateful prosecutors continued pursuing an arrest.

“And I'm very grateful, very grateful for me and my family and to come to an end like this, then to constantly be a cold case situation," he said.

The three men originally convicted of Theresa Fusco's murder were in jail for nearly 20 years, but had their convictions overturned based on advancements in DNA testing, which the DA says played a big role in this arrest.