A murder baffled investigators for decades. Then a Georgia man came forward after finding religion

A booking photo of Joseph Quiros-Soto is shown. (Spalding County Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource)

For more than three decades, the home invasion killing of New Jersey resident Mauricio Cuadra remained unsolved.

Then, in 2024, a man walked into a Georgia police station more than 700 miles away from the scene of the crime. He was carrying his medications and personal belongings, prepared for the possibility that he would not return home.

Joseph Quiros-Soto had something to confess after his pastor encouraged him to come forward and do the right thing. He told investigators he was responsible for the Aug. 9, 1989, murder of 48-year-old Cuadra in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Cuadra was inside his apartment with his girlfriend and her two young daughters when an unknown intruder kicked in the door, according to court documents. Records indicate that Cuadra attempted to defend himself with a crowbar before the suspect placed him in a headlock and shot him in the head during the struggle.

Quiros-Soto, a self-described born-again Christian who had been attending a local church and participating in a men’s group, told investigators that his faith played a central role in his decision to confess after decades of silence.

A confession that reopened a cold case

Quiros-Soto, now 62, first came to the Locust Grove Police Department on Aug. 28, 2024, and confessed to the murder at the front desk, triggering a cross-state investigation involving Georgia and New Jersey authorities, Locust Grove Police Chief Derrick Austin told CNN.

Austin said the initial confession was difficult to process given the age of the case.

“It was so far-fetched, but then on the other hand, he was so detailed, we were like, ‘This could be real,’” he said.

Authorities said Quiros-Soto provided specific details about the 1989 home invasion that had never been publicly released, including the sequence of events inside the apartment — “details that would only be known by the killer,” court documents say.

Several New Jersey detectives later travelled to Locust Grove, where Quiros-Soto voluntarily participated in interviews. Austin said Quiros-Soto has remained co-operative throughout the process, and during his interview, appeared to be calm and remorseful.

“To me, it was just like he had been carrying this weight,” Austin said. “It was almost like a relief for him to just tell somebody.”

The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office arrested Quiros-Soto at his home in Griffin, Georgia, on May 27, almost two years after his confession. Austin said the delay stemmed from the time needed to verify Quiros-Soto’s statements throughout the investigation.

He is currently being detained in Georgia pending transfer to New Jersey authorities, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Quiros-Soto waived his Miranda rights during interviews with the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. He also provided a DNA sample, which matched biological evidence from a stain sample on Cuadra’s sweatpants in 1989.

He was charged in May with murder and murder during the commission of a burglary, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. It’s unclear whether Quiros-Soto has an attorney.

Authorities said additional details about motive have not been released at the request of New Jersey investigators as the case remains active. The Bayonne Police Department did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

By Julianna Bragg, CNN