Waterford Police have made an arrest in cold case murder from 13 years ago. Renee Pellegrino, was found June 25, 1997 on Waterford Parkway South. She had been strangled.
Officers arrested Dickie Anderson Jr., 40, of New London, on Tuesday and charged with Pellegrino's murder. Anderson's arrest was the result of an investigation by the Southeastern Connecticut Cold Case Unit, according to police.
Those who live near Anderson were shocked to hear of his arrest.
"He’s a nice guy, went to work everyday. He helped you out if you needed help. I’ve never seen him do anything violent," said Ramon Rios.
Pellegrino was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and law school graduate who turned to prostitution to support her crack addiction, according to a story in The Day of New London a day after her death. Pellegrino, who was 41 when she died, had been released from prison the day before she was killed.
Peter Roberts, a deacon at the First Congregational Church of New London, remembers the first day he met Pellegrino.
"I was cleaning my pickup truck, listening to opera, she stuck her head in, wanting to bum a cigarette and said, 'What an eclectic guy, a pickup truck and opera.' And I said, 'Where did you learn the word eclectic?'" Roberts said.
He was sad to hear of her death a few weeks later.
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"She chose a life that most of us would not choose, but it doesn’t take away her humanity, and she had so many gifts," said Roberts.
Anderson is being held on $2.5 million bond. He will be arraigned in New London Superior Court on Wednesday.
