Demand DNA Testing on Key Evidence in Unsolved 1980 Philadelphia Murder
Demand DNA Testing on Key Evidence in Unsolved 1980 Philadelphia Murder
The Issue
On a gray, rainy day in March 1980, a 25-year-old University of Pennsylvania grad student named Julie Ann Revsin was murdered in her apartment at 4530 Osage Ave. in Philadelphia. The crime did not receive much attention at the time because it occurred on the same day that the mob boss Angelo Bruno was murdered in South Philadelphia.
Julie Revsin’s murder remains unsolved. Her killer has never been brought to justice.
Her body was found face down on the bedroom floor, a butcher’s knife lying nearby. Her throat had been cut “from ear to ear” and her wrists had been slashed. Initially investigators suspected suicide, but an autopsy found that she had also been stabbed in the left side of her torso, and the coroner ruled her death a homicide.
The autopsy showed no evidence of sexual assault. Neighbors reported hearing no screams or signs of a struggle emanating from the apartment that day. There was no sign of forced entry, suggesting Revsin may have known her attacker.
Just a few hours after Julie was murdered, Bruno, the mob boss, was assassinated with a shotgun blast to the back of his head while sitting in a parked car, his murder being one of the most sensational crimes in the city’s history. Perhaps it’s not surprising that, by comparison, the murder of Julie Revsin attracted little attention from the media and, it seems, investigators.
I am calling on Philadelphia district attorney Larry Krasner and Philadelphia police commissioner Kevin J. Bethel to take another look at this case. Despite the many years that have passed since the crime occurred, it seems eminently solvable. The apparent murder weapon—the knife found near Julie's body—must be tested for traces of the perpetrator’s DNA. If the killer was around Julie’s age (25) at the time, he (or she) would now be around 70 years old, still relatively young considering the case is now 45 years old.
By signing this petition, you call on the Philadelphia Police Department to test the knife used in Julie Revsin’s murder for DNA evidence. Your voice can help bring justice and provide closure in this decades-old case. Sign the petition to help move this cold case forward and solve this terrible crime.
485
The Issue
On a gray, rainy day in March 1980, a 25-year-old University of Pennsylvania grad student named Julie Ann Revsin was murdered in her apartment at 4530 Osage Ave. in Philadelphia. The crime did not receive much attention at the time because it occurred on the same day that the mob boss Angelo Bruno was murdered in South Philadelphia.
Julie Revsin’s murder remains unsolved. Her killer has never been brought to justice.
Her body was found face down on the bedroom floor, a butcher’s knife lying nearby. Her throat had been cut “from ear to ear” and her wrists had been slashed. Initially investigators suspected suicide, but an autopsy found that she had also been stabbed in the left side of her torso, and the coroner ruled her death a homicide.
The autopsy showed no evidence of sexual assault. Neighbors reported hearing no screams or signs of a struggle emanating from the apartment that day. There was no sign of forced entry, suggesting Revsin may have known her attacker.
Just a few hours after Julie was murdered, Bruno, the mob boss, was assassinated with a shotgun blast to the back of his head while sitting in a parked car, his murder being one of the most sensational crimes in the city’s history. Perhaps it’s not surprising that, by comparison, the murder of Julie Revsin attracted little attention from the media and, it seems, investigators.
I am calling on Philadelphia district attorney Larry Krasner and Philadelphia police commissioner Kevin J. Bethel to take another look at this case. Despite the many years that have passed since the crime occurred, it seems eminently solvable. The apparent murder weapon—the knife found near Julie's body—must be tested for traces of the perpetrator’s DNA. If the killer was around Julie’s age (25) at the time, he (or she) would now be around 70 years old, still relatively young considering the case is now 45 years old.
By signing this petition, you call on the Philadelphia Police Department to test the knife used in Julie Revsin’s murder for DNA evidence. Your voice can help bring justice and provide closure in this decades-old case. Sign the petition to help move this cold case forward and solve this terrible crime.
485
The Decision Makers
Petition created on July 20, 2025