Thirty-six years after a young biologist was found raped and murdered near her Maryland home, a man has taken responsibility for the crime.

James Clinton Cole took an Alford plea Wednesday, admitting that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him. He apologized in court but said he has no memory of what police described as a vicious attack.

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Cole was arrested more than three years ago after DNA evidence linked him to the 1989 murder of 27-year-old Cynthia Rodgers in Forestville.

At the time of his arrest in 2022, the victim's mother, Rosia, told News4 she just wanted to see Cole face to face.

“It was a relief, and I hope he never hurts another person," she said. "I prayed to the Lord to let me live long enough to

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