Man Arrested, Charged In 1991 Delaware County Cold Case Homicide Thanks To Pair Of Socks

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and the Pennsylvania State Police announced an arrest in a 1991 cold case homicide that happened in Delaware County thanks to a pair of socks. Fifty-two-year-old Theodore Dill Donahue was arrested and charged in connection to the death of his then 27-year-old girlfriend, Denise Sharon Kulb.

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State troopers arrested Donahue, who now faces several charges including murder, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

"Twenty-eight years ago, Denise Sharon Kulb was found dead in a remote area in the suburbs, abandoned and discarded. She was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend. She deserved far better than to be killed and left in a location unknown to those who mourned her," Krasner said. "But thanks to tenacious work by the Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Investigation Assessment Unit – and by Trooper Andrew Martin in particular – we are within reach of securing justice for this woman, who should have been 55 years old today."

With the use of new investigative tools, the cold case was re-opened by the Pennsylvania State Police in 2015 and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office joined the investigation in 2018. Troopers used photo-enhancing technology to connect a pair of separated socks - a key piece of evidence that helped point to Donahue as the suspect.

According to authorities, in November 1991, Kulb's body was found in a wooded, undeveloped cul-de-sac off of Harvey Road in Birmingham Township, Delaware County.

On Oct. 1, 1991, Kulb reportedly moved into Donahue's apartment on Salaignac Street in the Wissahickon section of Philadelphia. But she moved out two weeks later.

Donahue originally told Pennsylvania State Police that he last saw Kulb on Oct. 18, 1991 when they purchased and ingested crack and were robbed at knifepoint. He says Kulb ran to get help but he never saw her again.

But when Donahue was re-interviewed in 2015, he gave a different account, stating that he saw Kulb outside of a bar on Oct. 18, 1991.

The victim's sister was also interviewed and stated that Kulb got into a fight with Donahue outside of the bar where the sister was employed.

Phone records show that Donahue and Kulb talked before they met on Oct. 19, 1991, which was the last day Kulb was seen alive.

Troopers found her decomposed body on Nov. 12, 1991.

Three days later, troopers searched Donahue's apartment and found a yellow sock that matched one they found at the crime scene along with a job application with Kulb's name on it.

That same day, investigators say Donahue was interviewed and denied any involvement in Kulb's death. He also admitted that his nickname was "Ted Bundy," officials say.

Over the following days, police stated that Donahue called them multiple times, asking about the autopsy results and reportedly offered to help in the investigation.

In the years after the murder, Donahue was interviewed and revealed details that "no one but an eyewitness to the crime should have known," according to police.

Donahue is being held without bond.

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• Cold Case
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• Delaware County
• Philadelphia