Racine police announce charges in cold case homicide of Linda Fields

 

RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Long awaited justice has finally come to a Racine family more than two decades after their loved one was killed.

Lucas Alonso, 66, is facing a first-degree intentional homicide charge in the death of Linda Fields, 37. Fields was found strangled to death on February 24, 2000, near 12th and Lake Avenue in Racine.

Investigators collected DNA evidence from a single male contributor at the scene but for years were unsuccessful in finding a match.

CBS 58 spoke to family of Fields following the announcement of charges in the cold case. Fields' youngest sister Kathy recalls the day she lost her sister.

"That's a hurting pain right there. I try not to think about it because every time I talk about it, it hurts," she said. Kathy says her big sister was her role model.

"I loved being around her. She always encouraged me to stay in school," she said.

The cold case was reassigned in 2005 and 2012. The DNA of five suspected in the case was tested and no matches were found.

In August of 2020, investigators revisited the case and the department received additional funding to conduct more DNA testing. A familial DNA search was conducted and determined that a male person of interest had a brother and father that was still living. DNA was collected from the brother, and he was eliminated but the father was not.

Last month, Lucas Alonso was tested, and a match was made. Alonso who lives in Zion, Illinois, was arrested at his workplace in Racine this month.

Carl Fields, Linda's son, says he's grateful they are closer to justice. "I figured at some point it would come to light. It was just a matter of living with it until this happened and today is that day...grateful for that," he said.

Alonso was given a $1 million cash bond during his initial court appearance.

Prosecutors say he's a flight risk with ties to Illinois and Mexico. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

The next court appearance is set for March 16.

Officials say the arrest was the result of efforts over the years from multiple agencies. Maurice Robinson, Racine Chief of Police, says he hopes the break in this case restores hope to other families awaiting justice.