Austin, indicted in 2021 on a first-degree murder charge, chose a bench trial, leaving the decision to a judge rather than a jury. Prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty if he is convicted. He also faces two counts of armed kidnapping and one count of armed sexual battery.

McCray, a college student, was in bed with her boyfriend at their St. Johns Avenue apartment in Avondale during the early morning hours of Dec. 24, 1985, when a stranger entered with a knife. Her boyfriend was tied up, and McCray was taken from the apartment against her will. After freeing himself, he contacted police. McCray was found dead hours later on Old Middleburg Road.

The case remained unsolved for decades. In 2019, McCray’s family asked Jacksonville’s Project: Cold Case and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit to reexamine evidence using newer forensic methods. Investigators developed a lead on Austin in April 2020, according to Sheriff T.K. Waters, who was then the department’s chief of investigations. Further DNA testing was conducted to confirm the connection, authorities said.

Austin had been incarcerated in Michigan since 1991, serving a life sentence for sexual assault convictions there. The DNA work in McCray’s case was supported by a U.S. Justice Department grant to the JSO Cold Case Unit.

McCray’s cousin, Joey Bray, said after Austin’s indictment that the family had long wanted answers. “I always have that question in the back of your mind — what happened to her, why. I wanted justice for her,” Bray said. “I’m just glad we know. We have answers.”

Bray also described McCray as a young person who had her whole life ahead of her. The trial will determine whether Austin is legally responsible for her killing and the related charges.