St. Charles County, Missouri- The Office of Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar announces that Cecil McBenge, 49 of St. Charles, was sentenced to life without eligibility for Parole for Murder in the 1st Degree, following a 7-day jury trial in October of this year.
Charges arose from the November 4, 1984 murder of Elenora Knorschild, 84, of the 1700 block of Sibley Street in St. Charles. She was discovered dead in her home by a family member following an apparent burglary. Though no arrests were made in the immediate aftermath, the investigation remained open. In October of 2011, under the direction of the St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office Cold Case Unit, various items from the original crime scene were tested for DNA for the first time, the results of which linked McBenge to the murder. Brian McBenge, 52 and brother to Cecil was also found guilty by jury of murder 1st from the same incident, and was sentenced to life without parole.
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