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Police arrested a longtime suspect Thursday in the 1990 killing of Kim Thomas in her Charlotte home.
Thomas’ murder has been a cold case for 35 years, up until now when Charlotte police made an arrest related to the case. Here are key events in the case.
Who was Kim Thomas and how did she die?
July 27, 1990
Kim Thomas was a 32-year-old women’s rights activist at the time of her death. Thomas lived with her 10-month-old son and her husband Ed Friedland. She was slashed to death and in handcuffs in her Cotswold home on July 27, 1990. Her 10-month-old son was in his crib nearby. Her death — and CMPD’s failure to find her killer — has reverberated through the city for decades.
Why was husband Ed Friedland a suspect?
July 11, 1994
Ed Friedland was a kidney specialist who worked at Presbyterian Hospital. He was one of the two main suspects of his wife’s murder. He was arrested on July 11, 1994, four years after Thomas was found dead.
Charges were later dropped and never refiled. He has spent decades trying to clear his name.
What about suspect Marion Gales?
Oct. 3, 1997
Friedland later filed a wrongful-death suit against Marion Gales, an early on suspect in Thomas’ murder. He won the case on Oct. 3, 1997. Marion Gales was a 28-year-old handyman at the time of Thomas’ death.
He would often work on the Cotswold home of Thomas and Friedland.
Marion Gales’ criminal history and the sample error
Aug. 24, 1990
Gales was reportedly homeless and a handyman at the time of Thomas’ murder. He lived in Grier Heights, a 5-1/2-minute walk across Wendover Road to Kim Thomas’ house on Churchill Road, according to previous Observer reporting.
Gales was in and out of jail since age 16 when he shot and wounded a woman on Churchill.
An error on an Aug. 24, 1990, police department report flagged Gales in the case again in 1994.
Crime scene technician R.D. Nance wrote that he took samples of head hair, pubic hair, saliva and facial hair from Thomas, but it turns out these were taken from Gales.
DNA leads to arrest of Marion Gales
Feb. 19, 2026
Police credited new DNA technology with linking Gales to the crime.
“We have direct criminal evidence linking Mr. Gales to the location and the victim,” CMPD Deputy Police Chief Ryan Butler said at a news conference Thursday. “This case highlights the fact that our work never stops.”
Gales has been a longtime suspect of the murder of Thomas, but was not arrested until Feb. 19.
DNA evidence connecting Gales to the crime was suggested four years ago by prominent North Carolina attorney David Rudolf in a court filing.
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 4:59 PM.
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Emily Broyles
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