A man already behind bars in Maryland has been indicted on murder and rape charges in the death of a 23-year-old dancer whose case remained cold for nearly four decades following the discovery of her body.
The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City revealed in September that David Alexander Williams had been charged in the 1986 killing of Teresa Ann Houck.
Alexander, 67, was indicted on Friday, October 9, on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree rape and the use of a firearm in a felony or crime of violence, according to court records viewed by Us.
The records didn’t list whether Alexander had retained legal representation as of Wednesday, October 14.
Houck was last seen alive in the early hours of October 22, 1986, when she left the Pussycat Club, where she worked as a dancer in Baltimore City, according to prosecutors.
Later that morning, she was found shot to death, half-naked, in a grassy area of Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park, prosecutors said. Her head, neck and chest had several gunshot wounds.
Williams’ indictment in her death comes as he currently serves a lifetime sentence in connection with the murder of his wife, Lillian Williams, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Williams, who was handed the sentence in July for fatally shooting Lillian at their Abingdon home in 2025, is appealing his murder conviction, per the newspaper. He also reportedly maintains he had no role in Houck’s killing.
During the initial investigation into Houck’s murder, authorities found her car in a parking lot not far from the Pussycat Club, according to a September 22 news release issued by the state’s attorney’s office.
As a result, investigators believed she had been taken from the lot to Druid Hill Park “by other means” before she was killed, the office said.
Nearly 20 years later, in 2005, forensic scientists identified sperm on vaginal swabs recovered from Houck’s body, according to prosecutors. Further analysis revealed a male DNA profile that was submitted to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System.
In September 2025, a “high-stringency match” was detected between the DNA profile and a DNA sample collected from Williams a month earlier, in July 2025, the state’s attorney’s office said.
This led authorities to execute a search and seizure warrant in May, allowing them to collect additional DNA samples from Williams that allegedly linked him to the rape and murder of Houck, according to prosecutors.
“Nearly forty years may have passed, but our commitment to seeking justice for Ms. Houck and her loved ones has never wavered,” Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates said in a September 22 statement.
“What began as an unspeakable act of violence, with evidence of an apparent sexual assault, ultimately provided the critical lead that allowed investigators to identify a suspect and bring this case before the courts,” Bates added.
Williams’ initial court appearance is set for November 10, records show.
