The Cold Case Homicide of Rowena Zapalac

Send us Fan MailThe Cold Case Homicide of Rowena ZapalacThe sources provide a detailed investigative report and related podcast materials from Crime Junkie concerning the suspicious 1984 death of Rowena Wilkinson Zapalac in Flatonia, Texas, which was initially ruled a suicide or accident. Central to the investigation is the persistent advocacy of Zapalac’s sister, Joleta Wilkinson, who pushed for reclassification after discovering that critical forensic evidence, such as signs of struggle and foreign biological material, contradicted the initial ruling. The sources explore two possible connections: a confessed serial killer named Robert Charles Browne, who claimed to have committed a murder in Flatonia around that time, and a local man, Cooper Cherry, who was linked to Zapalac and another local homicide victim, Melody Ann Bush. Ultimately, the report concludes that Zapalac’s death was a homicide and urges state authorities to officially re-open and reclassify the case to pursue justice.Support the show