Police look for clues in 1978 cold case murder

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - It's a cold case that stunned the community in 1978. Whoever went in and brutally murdered 16-year-old Pauline Robbin Burgett probably knew her said police. The murder has been tough on her family and her only brother, knowing someone out there got away with the crime.

March 12, 1978, the day 16-year-old Pauline's body was discovered in her family's duplex near 26th Street and McDowell. Decades later the duplex is still there, and while no one may remember the crime, the victim's brother says he's never stopped looking for answers.

"Not a day goes by that I don't think about it, the vision is very clear in my mind like it happened yesterday," said Chad Burgette.

Chad and his mom had been out of town on a weekend trip. They returned and found Pauline in her bedroom; she had been sexually assaulted and murdered.

"And it was brutal whoever committed the crime, this was a crime of anger, and rage and Robin knew her perpetrator," said Detective Clark Schwartzkopf.

Chad was just 11-years-old when it happened.

"I miss her, I miss her a lot, we got cheated out of a lot of years," said Burgette.

Detectives continue to work the cold case and say they do have forensic evidence from the crime scene. But there are many complicating factors says Det. Schwartzkopf for the 16-year-old who had dropped out of high school.

"Being out of school she had a lot of boyfriends, a lot of ex-boyfriends, what we're hoping is somewhere along the line someone said something to someone and admitted to something," said Schwartzkopf.

"I'm not sure you can bring closure to something like this, it's been 38 years, and I think the person that did it has been free long enough, and it's time for the person to answer for what they've done," said Burgette.

Police say there were threats made against Pauline from people at an apartment complex where she used to babysit. They do have DNA in the case, but they don't have a source for it just yet.

If you know anything about the murder of Pauline Robbin Burgett, you're asked to call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.