Indictment in Cold Case Homicide from 1978

Modified: March 19, 2020 12:16pm

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3/19/2020


Linda TschariErie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 60-year-old John M. Sauberan of Buffalo has been arraigned before State Supreme Court Justice Russell P. Buscaglia on an indictment charging him with one count of Murder in the Second Degree, a Class “A-1” felony.

It is alleged that on Wednesday, February 8, 1978, the defendant intentionally caused the death of 19-year-old Linda Tschari by stabbing her multiple times at her home on Pooley Place in the City of Buffalo.

A return court date has not been scheduled at this time. The case will be assigned to Erie County Court Judge Sheila A. DiTullio.

If convicted on the charge, Sauberan faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison. He remains held without bail.

DA Flynn commends Detectives Mary Evans and John Paradowski of the Buffalo Police Department for her work in the investigation as well as the forensic biologists at Erie County Central Police Services Laboratory who have worked on this case file throughout the decades.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ashley M. Morgan of the DA’s Homicide Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Brian D. Langenfeld of the DA’s Tactical Prosecution Unit.

As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.