By Nicole June

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – More than 20 years after 23-year-old Crista Bramlitt was found dead inside a home in Clarksville, a suspect has finally been arrested for her murder.

On April 16, 2019, 48-year-old Kenneth Hudspeth was taken into custody in Phoenix, AZ and charged with criminal homicide in the cold case.

Officers with the Clarksville Police Department (CPD) found Bramlitt’s body in a home at 418 Peachers Mill Road Lot 45 (Sunnydale Mobile Home Park) on Oct. 28, 1996.

According to police files, evidence indicated that Bramlitt was a victim of homicide and possible sexual assault. An autopsy revealed her cause of death was suffocation. During the autopsy, a sexual assault evidence collection kit was completed and sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Crime Lab for analysis.

At that time a DNA profile was obtained and loaded into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in search of a possible match.

No matches were found until 22 years after the incident. On February 13, 2019, Detective Ulrey received an official CODIS report from the TBI Crime Lab that showed a potential DNA match.

The alleged perpetrator’s identity was listed as Kenneth Hudspeth, DOB 12/7/1970.

On April 16, 2019, Detective Ulrey interviewed Hudspeth in Phoenix, Arizona. During the interview with Hudspeth, police discovered he was in Clarksville at the time of Bramlitt’s murder, he knew the victim, and was allegedly inside the home on the day of her death.

Police said Hudspeth was the last person to see Bramlitt alive.

Based on this information and other statements from Hudspeth, he was determined to be the suspect in Bramlitt’s murder.

Police said he waived extradition and is currently being transported to Clarksville, TN where he will be booked into the Montgomery County Jail.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

There are over 1,500 pages of documentation associated with the homicide investigation of Crista Bramlitt. The original detective on the case was Detective Charvis, who is now retired.

In 2005, there were changes to the CODIS and the DNA from the Bramlitt case and others cases were resubmitted for testing. The suspect in the case, Kenneth Hudspeth, flew under the radar and was not known to investigators at the time of the homicide. He had resided in the mobile home park for a brief period of time and moved out almost immediately after the homicide was committed. He moved out of the Clarksville area in December 1997.

After Detective Ulrey received notification of the CODIS hit, it was confirmed Hudspeth had been in the Clarksville area and had been arrested in July 1997 for Domestic Assault (Bramlitt was not the victim), but there was never a link associated with the Bramlitt case.

Hudspeth had numerous arrests over the years since the homicide, including two prison stints in Texas and Arizona, but there was not a CODIS hit in the Bramlitt case.

The CODIS hit in Arizona came about after an arrest on a felony charge involving an assault.

According to CPD policy, cold cases have reviews on an annual basis. Anytime information comes in related to a cold case, it is assigned and investigated. CPD currently has over 30 cold cases.

Bramlitt’s family members were notified of the new information as soon as the break in the case was confirmed.

Clarksville Police Department received assistance from multiple agencies to bring Hudspeth to justice.

“The TBI expedited processing a DNA sample of Hudspeth’s to confirm the original DNA information, and the Phoenix, Arizona Police Department was invaluable with assistance in locating and keeping track of Hudspeth and went out of their way to help us with the case,” CPD spokesman Jim Knoll said. “Also, the District’s Attorney’s Office worked hand and hand with the Clarksville Police Department to bring the criminal charge to fruition.”

It is unclear when Hudspeth will be scheduled for a hearing in court.