Investigators say modern forensic testing linked William Morton to evidence preserved after Hillary Hellewell was killed more than four decades ago.
NEWPORT, RI — A 61-year-old Rhode Island man has been charged with murder more than 41 years after 22-year-old Hillary Hellewell was found dead on a Newport sidewalk, with investigators saying DNA recovered from a discarded water bottle matched genetic evidence preserved from the 1985 crime scene.
William “Billy” Morton, of Smithfield, was arrested and arraigned Oct. 6 in Newport County District Court on one count of murder. He was ordered held without bail and is scheduled to return to court Oct. 20 for a status conference. Authorities say the arrest followed a renewed cold case investigation that combined evidence collected in 1985 with advances in DNA testing and forensic genealogy. Morton is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Hellewell, of Jamestown, was found early on May 19, 1985, on a sidewalk along Anthony Street in Newport. Court records cited by investigators say two men walking to work discovered her and police responded at about 4:30 a.m. An autopsy determined that Hellewell died from asphyxia caused by strangulation and ruled her death a homicide. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has also said she had been sexually assaulted.
Investigators learned that Hellewell had attended a gathering on Friendship Street the night before she was killed. According to court records, she left the gathering to help an intoxicated male friend get home. The friend made it home, but Hellewell did not. Newport police interviewed people connected to the gathering and others who knew her, but authorities said the investigation did not produce a viable suspect at the time.
Physical evidence collected after Hellewell’s death remained important as DNA technology developed. Rhode Island did not have the ability to conduct the type of DNA testing now commonly used in criminal investigations in 1985. In 2004, Newport police submitted biological evidence from Hellewell’s clothing to the Rhode Island Department of Health. Testing produced a DNA profile from sperm recovered from her pants, investigators said. Additional evidence from a blue T-shirt found near her body was also examined.
Police compared the DNA profile with samples from several men who knew Hellewell or had been connected to events before her death. Those men were excluded as matches, according to an investigative affidavit. The profile was also entered into a national DNA database, but authorities said it produced no match. The case remained unsolved for years as investigators continued to preserve the evidence and review possible leads.
The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and Newport police reopened the investigation in 2023 as the state’s Cold Case Unit began applying newer forensic methods to older cases. Investigators sent evidence to a private laboratory for additional analysis. Authorities said the work eventually produced a genetic lead pointing toward a family line. Investigators then examined relatives and narrowed their focus to Morton as a potential suspect.
Investigators began surveillance of Morton in August 2026. During that work, authorities said an investigator followed Morton and his fiancée to a performance in Woonsocket. Morton bought a bottle of water and later discarded it. Investigators recovered the bottle and sent it to the Rhode Island Department of Health for testing. A report issued Sept. 24 found that DNA recovered from the bottle was consistent with the DNA profile developed from biological evidence found on Hellewell’s clothing, according to authorities.
Police later obtained warrants for Morton’s arrest and a search of his home. He was taken into custody Oct. 6 as he was leaving his Smithfield residence, authorities said. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and Newport Police Department, with assistance from Smithfield police. Officials have not publicly established a motive, and prosecutors have emphasized that the criminal charge is an allegation that must be proven in court.
Neronha said the case illustrates why preserving evidence and returning to unsolved cases can matter decades later. His office’s Cold Case Unit has reviewed scores of unresolved investigations and has worked with local police agencies to identify cases that could benefit from newer forensic technology. In Hellewell’s case, evidence that could not identify a suspect in 1985 eventually became central to the prosecution more than four decades later.
Morton remains held without bail as the case moves through Rhode Island’s court system. His next scheduled proceeding is a status conference on Oct. 20. Authorities have said the investigation remains active, and no additional charges or defendants have been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 12, 2026.