A judge denied bond Friday during a bail hearing for a man charged in a 1999 Gary cold case murder.
Orvall M. McMoore, now 57, of Chicago, was charged on July 30 in 27-year-old Lisa Anderson’s stabbing death. She was discovered on Jan. 12, 1999, after her mother hadn’t heard from her.
Defense lawyer Matt LaTulip argued all authorities had were “fingernail clippings.”
McMoore claimed in 2020 that he hadn’t seen Anderson at that point, but he had an “elaborate story” in 2024 to “explain his DNA on her fingernails,” Deputy Prosecutor Michelle Jatkiewicz said.
An unidentified man, whose DNA was also lifted was “not in that apartment,” she argued.
Judge Samuel Cappas said there was enough evidence that showed Anderson was “obviously defending herself” and McMoore was “clearly at the scene.”
The next court date is Oct. 15.
Anderson, who was unemployed, had been out the day before making job applications, Gary Police Detective Cpl. Louis Donald said then. Her mother had been unable to reach her that Tuesday, so she went to the apartment where she made the discovery, according to Post-Tribune archives.
Donald also told the paper Anderson’s blue Ford Escort was stolen afterward. A TV, microwave and two lamps were also missing, according to the affidavit.
McMoore denied killing her to police.
During the interview, investigators took a DNA swab. In the end, McMoore’s DNA was linked to a couple of Anderson’s fingernails.
McMoore’s friend, Anderson’s ex-boyfriend, told investigators in December 2020 that they broke up about two years before her death.
mcolias@post-trib.com
