Investigators used old hairs from the crime scene to identify Michael Lapniewski.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A murder case that began in a quiet Pinellas County home in 1987 ended after detectives used modern DNA testing to connect Michael Lapniewski Jr. to evidence left behind at the scene.
The victim, 82-year-old Opal Weil, was found dead after she did not answer her phone. Detectives said the killer entered her home through a removed windowpane, cut the phone line and left before deputies arrived.
The original investigation found signs of a violent break-in. Reports said Weil had injuries to her face, wrist and neck. Investigators also noted that drawers appeared to have been searched and that jewelry, including rings and a watch, was missing.
For years, the case remained open but unsolved. Detectives preserved evidence, including several hairs collected from the home. A partial DNA profile did not lead to an arrest at the time, but new testing later allowed investigators to build a family tree tied to the unknown profile.
The investigation narrowed to three possible males. Detectives ruled out two and focused on Lapniewski, who was 19 when Weil was killed and lived near her home. Investigators later collected his DNA in Mississippi and said it matched the profile from the old evidence.
Lapniewski was arrested Jan. 26, 2023, in Mississippi and brought back to Pinellas County on a first-degree murder charge. He pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors told jurors the DNA evidence tied him to the crime scene.
A jury convicted him Thursday, and he received a life sentence. The verdict marked the end of a case shaped by old evidence, new science and years of work by cold case detectives.
Author note: Last updated July 3, 2026.