Christy Mirack and the Wedding DJ

The case

Our summary of the public record. The small numbers show where each fact comes from.

Christy Mirack, a 25-year-old elementary school teacher, was found killed in her East Lampeter Township apartment on December 21, 1992. Investigators collected the attacker's DNA, but for more than 25 years it matched no one in criminal databases.

The Lancaster County District Attorney's Office later turned to newer DNA tools, first releasing composite images predicted from the DNA and then, in 2018, a genetic genealogy search. That research pointed to Raymond Charles Rowe, a well-known local wedding and party DJ who performed as "DJ Freez." Investigators then confirmed that his DNA matched the crime-scene evidence. He was arrested on June 25, 2018.

On January 8, 2019, Rowe pleaded guilty to criminal homicide and multiple counts of rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, in a deal that removed the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole plus 60 to 120 years. He later claimed innocence and sought post-conviction DNA testing, but in April 2022 a Lancaster County judge denied the petition, finding he had not shown a case of actual innocence.