Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Cold Case Investigations Unit (CCIU) has filed murder charges in a 28-year-old cold case, leading to the arrest of Stephen Ford in Delaware for the brutal murder of his girlfriend, Doris Korell. Korell’s body, discovered with 83 stab wounds in a drainage ditch in Manatee County in 1996, had remained an unsolved mystery for decades.
Attorney General Moody’s CCIU, collaborating with multiple law enforcement agencies, reexamined the case, including testing new DNA evidence. The additional testing allowed the unit to rule out other suspects and create a clearer picture of the crime, which ultimately led to the charges against Ford.
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“Cold cases are some of the toughest to solve, and I’m proud of our Cold Case Investigations Unit for gathering crucial information and working with State Attorney Ed Brodsky’s Office to bring justice for Doris Korell,” said Attorney General Moody. “The defendant was right when he said after his arrest, ‘my past has come up to haunt me.’ We will continue to pursue justice for Korell and all cold case victims.”
Korell was reported missing in December 1996. Ford had initially told law enforcement that the couple argued on Dec. 8, and that Korell left to go shopping the following evening but never returned. After failing to show up for work on Dec. 9, Korell’s daughter reported her missing on Dec. 12. A week later, her body was found floating in a drainage canal, and it was positively identified using dental records seven months later.
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During the investigation, Ford was interviewed several times and made statements that raised suspicion, including, “If I killed her, I should get the death penalty.” Ford attempted suicide twice during the initial investigation and left a suicide note. After a failed attempt to interview him, detectives found Ford semi-conscious after consuming bleach in a second suicide attempt. In July 2024, CCIU’s retesting of Ford’s bed sheets supported evidence of these suicide attempts.
This year, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office submitted new evidence from Korell’s autopsy to CCIU for additional testing. The results confirmed there was no foreign DNA, ruling out the possibility of a random sexual assault and narrowing the focus on Ford.
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The case is being prosecuted by Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution in conjunction with the State Attorney’s Office in Manatee County.
Earlier this year, Attorney General Moody launched Florida’s Cold Case Investigations Unit to assist local law enforcement agencies with limited resources in solving unsolved cases.
Anyone with information on cold cases in Florida is encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency or report anonymously by calling **TIPS, with the possibility of earning a cash reward.
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