Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley and Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis today announced that charges have issued for a 50-year-old male in connection with the rape and murder of a 48-year-old woman, whose body was discovered in the rear of a truck in a Dorchester parking lot earlier this year.

Authorities today issued a warrant for the arrest of FITZHUGH NEWTON (D.O.B. 3/26/59), who is currently incarcerated in the South Bay House of Corrections on unrelated charges, for the victim’s February 26 rape and homicide following an extensive investigation conducted by Boston Police homicide detectives, Suffolk prosecutors, forensic analysis conducted by the Boston Police Department Crime Lab, and the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).

Newton will be arraigned at a future scheduled date on charges of murder and two counts of aggravated rape in Dorchester District Court.

On February 26, around 5:20 a.m., Boston Police officers responded to a 911 call for a person discovered unresponsive in the back of a delivery truck in a parking lot near 390 Columbia Road. Upon arrival, officers found the unresponsive woman and pronounced her dead on the scene. Following autopsy results, her death was deemed a homicide.

“A suspect in this horrific crime has been identified in large part utilizing the CODIS database,” Conley said. “That important tool, together with the outstanding work of Boston Police homicide detectives, the forensic team at the Boston Police Crime lab, and prosecutors in my office, has allowed us to identify a suspect who we plan to bring to justice in a court of law. We hope that the charges that were issued today – while only the beginning of a process to hold this alleged suspect accountable for these heinous crimes – will allow the victim’s family and the public to breathe easier knowing that he is not on the street.”

Davis stated, “Dogged detective work, highly skilled forensic technicians from the Boston Police Crime Lab and dedicated prosecutors worked tirelessly to secure justice for the victim and her family. I commend their efforts and hope that today’s charges will bring some sense of relief to the victim’s family who continue to cope with her loss.”