FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — A man, already serving a life sentence for another murder, has pleaded guilty in a 1987 cold-case murder, the Office of the Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney announced Thursday.
Charles Helem pleaded guilty to killing Eige Sober-Adler. Adler, a 37-year-old woman from Kensington, Maryland, was found dead in a parking lot near the Dulles Toll Road on Sept. 9, 1987
Helem is currently serving a life sentence in maximum security prison for the 2002 murder of his then-ex-girlfriend Patricia Bentley.
He confessed in 2021 to two cold case murders, one being Adler, sharing information that detectives said only the killer would know, Commonwealth Attorney Steve T. Descano said.
A grand jury indicted Helem in January.
He was then charged separately in Prince George’s County regarding the 2002 killing of Jennifer Landry.
Landry, a 19-year-old from Massachusetts, was found dead in the woods in Mount Rainier in August 2002, with multiple cut wounds on her neck.
Police say Helem began providing details about Adler after confessing to Landry's murder in September.
Prior to his confession, detectives from the Prince George's County Police Department had repeatedly tried to interview Helem after he sent letters in 2010 and 2017 claiming to have knowledge about Landry's murder. He refused all interviews until last fall, when he confessed to the murder of both women.
According to Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis, Adler's parents died before they could find out what happened to their daughter.
Landry's parents have also died, but she has a child, brother and sister who were all notified earlier this year.
Descano said, “Today, the community can begin to move toward peace and closure. I am grateful for the cooperation across agencies and jurisdictions that helped solve this case, including from Fairfax Police Chief Kevin Davis, Prince George’s Police Chief Malik Aziz, and the cold case detectives in both jurisdictions.”
As part of the plea agreement, Helem will be transferred to Maryland to plead guilty to the murder of Landry and serve the remainder of his life sentence.