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Karen L. RossMs. Ross has worked as a Prosecutor, Training Instructor, Adjunct Professor, and Homicide and Cold Case Advisor. She is an expert in homicide and cold case investigations, forensic genetic genealogy, criminal law and police procedures. Ms. Ross is also a published author and accomplished speaker.
In 1997, Ms. Ross joined the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey and worked in its Appeals Bureau. In 1998, she joined the Queens County District Attorney’s Office and is currently the Chief of the Cold Case Unit and Deputy Chief of the Homicide Bureau. As the Chief of the Cold Case Unit and the Deputy Chief of the Homicide |
Bureau at the Queens District Attorney's Office, she leads a team of skilled and compassionate prosecutors and investigators who handle some of the most challenging and complex cases in the county. Her team works closely with victim advocates and community organizations to provide support and resources for families affected by homicide.
Ms. Ross has over 26 years of experience in prosecuting violent crimes and seeking justice for homicide victims and their families. She has an abundance of experience supervising and leading hundreds of complex investigations, serving as sole counsel through all stages of trials, and researching and writing appellate briefs and motions. She has successfully prosecuted many of Queens most notable cold case murders.
Ms. Ross investigated and prosecuted Martin Motta for the 1976 robbery and brutal slaying of World War I Veteran George Clarence Seitz. On December 10, 1976, Martin Motta robbed, stabbed and murdered 81-year-old George Clarence Seitz inside Motta’s barbershop in Jamaica, New York. Motta then dismembered Mr. Seitz’s body and buried him in the backyard of a location in Queens County where defendant was living. The remains were unearthed in 2019 after a witness called the NYPD with childhood memories of seeing defendant dismember and bury the body. The identity of the remains was discovered through the use of forensic genetic genealogy which led to the arrest of Motta. The case proceeded to trial and on the first day, defendant pled guilty. He was ultimately sentenced to 15 years to life on a plea of guilty to murder in the second degree. This was the first successful application of forensic genetic genealogy in New York City which resulted in an arrest and conviction of the offender.
In 2018, Ms. Ross obtained a conviction in the 2008 slaying of 14-year-old Sabrina Matthews, who was found with her throat slashed lying in a pool of blood in her own home. The gruesome case went unsolved for nearly a decade until DNA analysis helped solve the case. In 2014, Ms. Ross tried and convicted Andrew Caballero for the 1995 murder of 21-year-old Jason Kollman. Caballero stabbed Kollman 15 times in the neck and upper body and then threw him off the roof of the apartment building. The case remained unsolved for years until new witnesses came forward leading to Caballero’s arrest.
Ms. Ross also prosecuted Victor Clemente for the 1986 murder of 32-year-old Fred Drapete. Clemente shot Drapete 9 times while he chased him around the basement apartment while Drapete’s daughters, who were 4 and 5 years old at the time, witnessed part of the violence. Clemente had been a fugitive from justice for 20 years until he was located in California when fingerprints he submitted for a job revealed he was wanted in regards to this slaying. In 2008, Clemente was found guilty by a jury of murder in the second degree.
During her tenure at the Queens District Attorney’s Office, she has also served as a Deputy Bureau Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, as the office liaison for the new Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPO)/Red Flag law, and as an instructor with the Trial Advocacy Training Bureau. Ms. Ross is also trained and holds a certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy. Her expertise in the field of forensic genetic genealogy has resulted in her successfully obtaining grants to support the enhancement of cold case investigations, both for her jurisdiction and for other prosecutor’s offices and stakeholders.
Ms. Ross was also a member of the adjunct faculty at Pace University School of Law where she taught Criminal Law and Legal Research and Writing. In 2019, she received the prestigious National Crime Victims Award for her dedication, compassion and kindness working with crime victims. In 2022, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the Retired Detectives of the Police Department of the City of New York for her prosecution of the 1976 cold case murder of World War I Veteran George Clarence Seitz.
Ms. Ross has over 26 years of experience in prosecuting violent crimes and seeking justice for homicide victims and their families. She has an abundance of experience supervising and leading hundreds of complex investigations, serving as sole counsel through all stages of trials, and researching and writing appellate briefs and motions. She has successfully prosecuted many of Queens most notable cold case murders.
Ms. Ross investigated and prosecuted Martin Motta for the 1976 robbery and brutal slaying of World War I Veteran George Clarence Seitz. On December 10, 1976, Martin Motta robbed, stabbed and murdered 81-year-old George Clarence Seitz inside Motta’s barbershop in Jamaica, New York. Motta then dismembered Mr. Seitz’s body and buried him in the backyard of a location in Queens County where defendant was living. The remains were unearthed in 2019 after a witness called the NYPD with childhood memories of seeing defendant dismember and bury the body. The identity of the remains was discovered through the use of forensic genetic genealogy which led to the arrest of Motta. The case proceeded to trial and on the first day, defendant pled guilty. He was ultimately sentenced to 15 years to life on a plea of guilty to murder in the second degree. This was the first successful application of forensic genetic genealogy in New York City which resulted in an arrest and conviction of the offender.
In 2018, Ms. Ross obtained a conviction in the 2008 slaying of 14-year-old Sabrina Matthews, who was found with her throat slashed lying in a pool of blood in her own home. The gruesome case went unsolved for nearly a decade until DNA analysis helped solve the case. In 2014, Ms. Ross tried and convicted Andrew Caballero for the 1995 murder of 21-year-old Jason Kollman. Caballero stabbed Kollman 15 times in the neck and upper body and then threw him off the roof of the apartment building. The case remained unsolved for years until new witnesses came forward leading to Caballero’s arrest.
Ms. Ross also prosecuted Victor Clemente for the 1986 murder of 32-year-old Fred Drapete. Clemente shot Drapete 9 times while he chased him around the basement apartment while Drapete’s daughters, who were 4 and 5 years old at the time, witnessed part of the violence. Clemente had been a fugitive from justice for 20 years until he was located in California when fingerprints he submitted for a job revealed he was wanted in regards to this slaying. In 2008, Clemente was found guilty by a jury of murder in the second degree.
During her tenure at the Queens District Attorney’s Office, she has also served as a Deputy Bureau Chief of the Domestic Violence Bureau, as the office liaison for the new Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPO)/Red Flag law, and as an instructor with the Trial Advocacy Training Bureau. Ms. Ross is also trained and holds a certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy. Her expertise in the field of forensic genetic genealogy has resulted in her successfully obtaining grants to support the enhancement of cold case investigations, both for her jurisdiction and for other prosecutor’s offices and stakeholders.
Ms. Ross was also a member of the adjunct faculty at Pace University School of Law where she taught Criminal Law and Legal Research and Writing. In 2019, she received the prestigious National Crime Victims Award for her dedication, compassion and kindness working with crime victims. In 2022, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the Retired Detectives of the Police Department of the City of New York for her prosecution of the 1976 cold case murder of World War I Veteran George Clarence Seitz.