Bio

Bernard Middleton was born on May 29, 1947. On May 6, 1993, Middleton was arrested again for felony theft. Years later, a Chicago DNA study stated that if his DNA had been collected after this arrest, investigators may have been able to identify him earlier. The study argued that earlier DNA testing could have helped prevent later violent crimes connected to him.

Before he was charged with murder, Middleton had several felony-related arrests. These included arrests for aggravated battery, felony theft, possession of a controlled substance, and felony retail theft. Public sources do not show that these earlier arrests were for murder or sexual assault. However, they became important because his DNA was not entered into the database until years later.

Middleton’s known violent-crime timeline began on September 25, 1995. On that date, a 22-year-old woman was raped in Chicago while waiting for a bus. The attacker used a knife, forced her to an isolated area, beat her, and raped her. DNA evidence was collected from the crime scene.

That DNA evidence did not immediately identify Middleton because his DNA was not yet in the database. The case stayed unsolved at the time, and later crimes occurred before investigators were able to connect him through DNA evidence.

Murder Story

On October 16, 1995, a 32-year-old woman was found murdered in Chicago, Illinois. Her body was discovered inside a stairwell at Hope Academy on the 5500 block of South Lowe. According to available sources, she had been lured into the stairwell, raped, and murdered. DNA evidence was recovered from the sexual assault kit.

The victim’s name is not confirmed in the main public sources reviewed for this profile. Because of that, the safest wording is to identify her as a 32-year-old woman unless a reliable court record or official article confirms her name.

The murder was not solved right away. Investigators had DNA evidence, but Middleton’s DNA was not yet in the database. This meant there was no match at the time. The case remained unsolved for years.

After the murder, Middleton continued to be arrested for other crimes. On May 28, 1997, he was arrested for felony theft. On July 25, 1997, a 34-year-old woman was raped on the 5500 block of South Calumet. The attacker used a knife, threatened to kill her, and raped her. DNA evidence was collected from that case.

On September 14, 1998, Middleton was arrested again for felony theft. He was convicted on October 9, 1998, and sentenced to one year of probation. Later that same month, on October 31, 1998, a 48-year-old woman was raped on the 1500 block of North Claremont Avenue. The attacker grabbed her from behind, forced her into an alley, and raped her. DNA evidence was also recovered from that crime.

Middleton was arrested again on November 12, 2001, for possession of a controlled substance. On August 8, 2002, he was arrested for felony retail theft. He was later convicted and sentenced to 20 months in prison. While he was in prison for that conviction, his DNA was entered into the database.

That DNA sample matched evidence from the earlier unsolved rape and murder cases. On May 1, 2003, Middleton was charged with one murder and three aggravated criminal sexual assaults. The charges were connected to the October 16, 1995 murder and the sexual assaults from September 25, 1995, July 25, 1997, and October 31, 1998. In 2003, Middleton was sentenced to 50 years in prison. 

Middleton’s case later became part of a larger discussion about DNA collection laws. A Chicago DNA study stated that if his DNA had been collected after earlier felony arrests, investigators may have identified him sooner and later crimes may have been prevented.