A Florida man has been indicted for a decades-old homicide after investigators say DNA evidence linked him to a killing that occurred in Tampa in 1980.
Authorities charged Robert Paul Bear, 63, with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Charles Barnes. According to court records, Bear was arrested last month in Pinellas County and initially booked into the county jail before being transferred to Hillsborough County, where he is currently being held at the Falkenburg Road Jail.
Barnes’ body was discovered on Oct. 16, 1980, at a home on 1804 E. Okaloosa Ave.. Prosecutors say the case remained unsolved for decades until modern forensic testing connected Bear to the crime.
The investigation began when Barnes’ employer reported that the 39-year-old had not shown up for work. Barnes was a kitchen manager at a hotel located at Tampa International Airport.
When police arrived at his home, they found his vehicle missing. After forcing entry through a sliding glass door, officers discovered Barnes lying naked in a hallway. Court records state that he had a bloodstained knife in his hand and another knife lodged in his chest, which had been partially covered by a washcloth.
Detectives determined the attack likely occurred in the bedroom. Investigators found blood-soaked sheets, several cans of Budweiser beer on the nightstand, and two pairs of men’s underwear along with an orange towel on the floor.
Barnes’ wife had moved out four months earlier and told detectives she suspected him of having an affair with another man. She also reported that a .22-caliber rifle was missing from the home.
Months after the killing, Barnes’ car was discovered abandoned in the parking lot of a motel along Dale Mabry Highway. Despite early investigative efforts, no suspects were identified and the case went cold.
In 2009, investigators reopened the case and found that fingerprints recovered from a Budweiser can at the scene matched Bear. Detectives later traveled to Gainesville to interview him, but Bear denied knowing Barnes.
Further forensic testing in early 2010 reportedly showed that DNA found beneath Barnes’ fingernails also matched Bear, with experts estimating the probability of the DNA belonging to someone else at 1 in 9 trillion.
Additional evidence surfaced in 2015 when a fingerprint lifted from a bathroom doorframe at the crime scene was also matched to Bear. Detectives interviewed him again at his home in St. Petersburg, but he continued to deny any connection to Barnes.
The investigation gained momentum again in 2025 when detectives interviewed a woman who shares children with Bear. She told investigators that Bear mentioned police questioning him years earlier about “an old case where a gay man was murdered,” and appeared unconcerned about it.
Later that year, investigators sent the orange towel recovered at the crime scene for additional DNA testing. Authorities also obtained a new DNA sample from Bear. A lab report issued on Jan. 21 determined that the DNA on the towel matched him.
Police ultimately arrested Bear on Feb. 3 during a traffic stop near 34th Street North and 46th Avenue. Officers initially found a small amount of heroin in his possession, though that charge was later dropped.
Bear appeared in a Tampa courtroom for his first hearing on Thursday and was ordered to remain jailed without bond. Another court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday as the case moves forward.
Court records list Bear as having lived in both Madeira Beach and Treasure Island, Florida.
