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On Long Island, Raul Ayala, 51, of Georgia, was indicted for first-degree murder in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Feb. 7, in the 2003 killing of Edna “Timmie” Schubert.
The 88-year-old Schubert, a widowed former Department of Motor Vehicles employee who lived alone, was found dead inside her North Bay Shore home on Fredrick Avenue on Dec. 12, 2003, Suffolk County Police said. Her body was discovered by neighbors who noticed her front door ajar and a shattered window.
The woman, known for her kindness and deep connections to the community, had been viciously beaten to death, an autopsy concluded. Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, the case went cold.
Fast forward to 2023, when retired Suffolk County Police Detective Pasquale Albergo, who never stopped thinking about the case, reached out to the department’s Homicide Section, hoping that advancements in forensic analysis could finally bring justice for Schubert, the district attorney’s office said.
The Breakthrough Investigation
Detectives reopened the cold case and collaborated with retired fingerprint expert Detective Timothy Kelly. A meticulous reexamination of the preserved fingerprint evidence from the crime scene led to a match with Ayala, who lived less than 200 yards from Schubert at the time of her killing, prosecutors said.
Further analysis focused on previously untested blood evidence found on Schubert’s clothing. Investigators determined that DNA from stains on her pantyhose and a white long-sleeved shirt contained a mixture of Schubert’s DNA and that of an unknown person.
Determined to bring Schubert’s killer to justice, authorities launched an undercover operation in August 2024 to track Ayala in Talmo, Georgia. Surveillance teams collected discarded items, including multiple lottery scratch-off tickets and plastic bottles, which were submitted for forensic testing. DNA from one of Ayala’s discarded bottles was found to be an exact match to the unidentified DNA at the crime scene, prosecutors said.
Suffolk County Police arrested Ayala in Georgia on Thursday, Jan. 16, and he was extradited to Long Island. In court Friday, he was indicted on the following felony counts:
- Murder in the first degree
- Two counts of murder in the second degree
Ayala was held without bail pending trial. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“This indictment demonstrates that justice has no expiration date. Through the relentless dedication of our retired and active law enforcement officers, coupled with advances in forensic technology, we were able to charge this defendant for the brutal murder of Edna Schubert which has haunted Suffolk County for over two decades,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.
“I thank the Suffolk County Police Department’s Homicide Section, Identification Section, and the Suffolk County Crime Lab for their hard work in getting us closer to bringing her alleged killer to justice.”
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