Centre Co., PA (WJAC) — Centre County District Attorney Bernie Cantorna announced Wednesday that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has rejected an appeal filed on behalf of James Cruz, a truck driver who was convicted of killing a teenage girl and dumping her body in Centre County.

In March of 1993, the body of 17-year-old Dawn Birnbaum, a teenage runaway, was found in a snowdrift along Interstate 99, near the Bellefonte interchange.

Investigators say she had reportedly hitched a ride with Cruz after running away from a school in Maine.

Police used DNA, tire tracks, and gas receipts to link Cruz to the Bellefonte area, and to Birnbaum.

Cruz was ultimately convicted of killing Birnbaum and was sentenced to life in prison.

Since his conviction, Cruz has filed numerous appeals, alleging that the DNA analysts had acted erroneously in processing the evidence.

Now, after nearly 6-and-a-half years of litigation, authorities say the state Superior Court ruled that the analyst had not committed any errors in processing the evidence and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court "declined to review the Superior Court’s ruling."

The District Attorney’s Office is grateful to the dedicated professionals, past and present, responsible for holding Cruz accountable for the 1993 murder. The closure of this case represents an important success in the history of the District Attorney’s Office.

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfma5uv9Oaq55lopq3pq%2FTrGSaqKCarq15zp9knKeeq7akwMSdZKatopmys7HRZq6hp12Zwq68xJ1krZ2Vo8Burs6dsGahnmKwprrTq5xmm58%3D