ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA: Andrea Cincotta's murder case remained unsolved for decades before it finally reached its conclusion, and still carries a sense of mystery with it after all these years. A person who was consistently involved in the case was Andrea's son, Kevin Cincotta.
NBC's true crime show 'Dateline' is coming out with an all-new episode based on what transpired back in 1998 when Andrea was murdered. The episode will revolve around an interview with Kevin disclosing more details about the murder case and how he dealt with it.
Who is Kevin Cincotta?
Kevin Cincotta was born to Howard and Andrea Cincotta in 1974 as their sole child. Although his parents divorced not long after his birth, he still experienced a healthy childhood and lived in two separate but happy households of Howard and Andrea.
He was 24 years old when Kevin lost his mother Andrea to murder. His mother was to marry her fiance James Christopher "Chris" Johnson, who was the one who found the woman's dead body in their shared home.
What happened to Kevin after Andrea's death?
A young man, Kevin was deeply shocked by what had happened to his mother. Chris was declared as one of the initial suspects in the murder case but since Kevin was close to him, he and other family members came forward to defend him. He was incredibly involved and dedicated all his time to the investigation to find out the murderer alongside the private investigator Pat Brown.
Kevin eventually found an important lead in the unsolvable case. He remembered a stranger who had interacted with Andrea around a month prior to the murder to borrow her personal computer. She had allegedly also invited him into the apartment that she shared with Chris. The police officials later dismissed the stranger named Bobby Joe Leonard as the suspect while he was already in jail, having been arrested for domestic assault on his wife. He was then sentenced to life in prison for the murder and rape of a 13-year-old. Later, Kevin insisted on the Cold Case Unit picking the case back up in 2013, but it was much later in 2018 that Bobby confessed to murdering Andrea. He also alleged that Chris had asked him to do it.
'I lost my life as I knew it'
Although Kevin first defended Chris, he grew to suspect him after Bobby's confession, just like the officials. He also expressed his disappointment over the compromise of Bobby as a suspect, saying, "The only person the police ever officially eliminated in the case was the actual killer. This was a breathtaking lack of competence."
“Today is really about my mom, and we’ve been waiting 24 years,” Kevin told Washington Post after the hearing last year, “I’m 48, so I’ve lived as long without her as I lived with her. I do feel a spiritual connection with her, and I feel like she’s watching all of this, and this is for her.”
He added, “The crime didn’t just alter my life, it destroyed it. I lost relationships. I lost my emotional support system. I lost my entire family. I lost my life as I knew it.” He continued, "I didn’t want to go on living, but one thing kept me going — I wanted to know what happened to my mom. So that I could grieve. You can’t grieve about what happened if you don’t know what happened… But make no mistake, justice delayed is justice denied. And it’s too bad this court can’t hold those who delayed justice needlessly, accountable."
What happened to Andrea Cincotta?
Andrea Cincotta was 52 years old and ready to marry Chris in August 1998 when she was brutally strangled to death and then shoved into a closet. Her then-fiance found her dead body and reported it to the police. The case remained unsolved for years with no suspects charged until 2018, when Bobby came forward to confess his crime.
Later, in 2021, Chris was also charged following Bobby's confession that he was paid to murder Andrea. In July 2022, a final verdict was arrived at wherein Chris pleaded not guilty and was proven to be innocent.
'NBC Dateline's two-hour-long episode 'Behind the Closet Door' will air on Friday, June 23 at 9 pm on NBC.
