Convicted Killer Indicted in 1991 Mullica Township Murder

Eddie Sykes, a 55-year-old man already serving a 30-year-to-life sentence for a 1992 homicide, has been indicted for the 1991 sexual assault and murder of Evelyn Caez in Mullica Township, New Jersey. Caez, 23 at the time, was found stabbed and sexually assaulted in her home, with DNA evidence on her underwear linking Sykes to the crime after forensic reexamination in 2023. Witnesses had reported seeing Sykes cycling around Caez's home on the night of the murder, although he denied knowing her when initially interviewed in 1991. The Atlantic County Grand Jury charged Sykes with first-degree murder, felony murder, and aggravated sexual assault, and if convicted, he faces life without parole. Authorities emphasized that charges are accusations and Sykes is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case highlights the impact of modern forensic advances in solving cold cases decades old.