Rhode Island man charged in 1985 murder after DNA found on discarded water bottle

William Morton, 61, was arrested on Oct. 6 and charged with first-degree murder for the 1985 killing of Hillary Hellewell in Newport, Rhode Island. The case, which had remained unsolved for more than 40 years, was advanced by DNA evidence recovered from a water bottle Morton left behind at a theater in Woonsocket.

According to court records, senior cold case investigator Michael Nayor of the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General followed Morton and his fiancée to a concert by Bad Animals, a Heart tribute band, on Aug. 21. After purchasing popcorn and two bottles of water, Morton left the venue early without retrieving his trash. Nayor collected the discarded bottle and submitted it for DNA testing. The Rhode Island Department of Health stated that the DNA profile from the bottle is consistent with partial profiles found on sperm stains from Hellewell’s white pants and a blue shirt recovered near her body.

Hellewell, 22, was found dead on Anthony Street in Newport on May 19, 1985. Two brothers discovered her body at 4:15 a.m. while on their way to work. A medical examiner determined she died from asphyxia due to strangulation. Investigators noted that Hellewell had attended a gathering in Newport the previous night and offered to walk home with an intoxicated male friend who returned safely. That friend was later ruled out as a potential donor of the sperm found on Hellewell’s body.

The case was reviewed by state officials in 2004, when DNA profiles were entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System. In 2023, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office established a Cold Case Unit and sent the evidence to a private lab for evaluation using recent technological advancements. This process identified Morton’s family line through the DNA recovered from the crime scene. Investigators subsequently learned that Morton had been convicted in 1987 of a violent sexual assault in Newport, occurring 45 days after Hellewell’s death and a couple of miles from where her body was found.

Morton was sentenced to 20 years for that assault, serving seven years in prison before completing the remainder of his sentence on probation. He is currently employed as a service technician at a Volkswagen dealership. Officers from multiple agencies executed the arrest at his home at approximately 7 a.m. on Oct. 6. He is being held without bond.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha stated that the case will be presented to a grand jury. A status conference is scheduled for Oct. 20.