It was July 16th, 1973, and 21-year-old Concheta, Penny, Sarah had the day off from her job as a dental

assistant at a practice in downtown New Haven, Connecticut.

She argued with her little sister over who would get the keys to the family's Buick that day,

and one, driving away from the home she shared with her father and sibling late that summer morning.

Penny made it to the Temple Street parking garage adjacent to Malley's department store

just before 12.45 PM.

She told her father earlier that day that she planned to do some

furniture shopping but before she ever stepped foot outside of the garage

Penny came face to face with evil in a senseless attack that claimed her young promising life.

Despite the abundant evidence left at the scene by the perpetrator and considerable public

speculation concerning one suspect in particular, more than a decade

would pass before New Haven police were able to make an arrest. But was their case against the man

they identified as Penicaris killer built on solid ground?

One critical detail would derail everything, and the investigation started all over again.

When Penny Sarah's murder finally made it to trial 29 years later, the judge would call it

one of the most mysterious murder cases in New Haven's history. The mystery would reach a conclusion, but not without a figurative roller coaster of false arrests,

cover up allegations, elaborate reenactments, and eventual advancements in forensic science

to finally put the case of Penny Sarah to rest.

I'm Kylie Lowe and this is part one of Conchetta Penny Sarah's story

on Dark Down East.

Conchetta Penny Sarah was born in New Haven Connecticut on March 2nd, 1952 to her Italian American parents,

John and Pauline Sarah.

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