LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – If patience is a virtue, families still waiting for justice for their loved ones may qualify as saints by now – and their patience continues to be tested. That reality is playing out once again as the office of Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel confirmed last week that the decades-old murder case of Belinda GarDella, submitted for review late last year, still remains under review.
“The Michigan Department of Attorney General received the case… and it remains under review. I am unable to provide any further update at this time,” Press Secretary Danny Wimmer said recently in a statement to Michigan News Source. For a case that’s been waiting more than 40 years for answers, that’s not exactly the answer the family has been hoping to hear, after a family member was told that the review should take about six months.
A 1983 murder still waiting for movement.
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Belinda GarDella was murdered in 1983 – a killing that has sat in cold-case limbo for decades after the Wayne County prosecutor declined to move forward several times, citing insufficient evidence to bring charges. According to a CBS News report, in November 2025, Redford Township Detective Sgt. Adam Kubrak formally submitted the case to the AG’s office, raising hopes that long-awaited action might finally be on the horizon. But the question is…how far off is that horizon?
As we reported previously, Belinda GarDella was found murdered in 1983. Her killing has haunted her family for decades without an arrest. Over the years, Belinda’s children have publicly voiced their belief that the person responsible is someone close to home – specifically, their father, Paul, Belinda’s ex-husband.
According to reporting on the case, family members have pointed to what they describe as troubling circumstances regarding Paul and long-standing suspicions and irregularities that were never fully pursued at the time. While those claims have not resulted in charges, the family has kept pressure on investigators and have been hoping for a fresh, thorough, and speedy review through the Attorney General’s office.
Review… or replay on repeat?
“Under review” can mean many things in government speak, especially in high-profile or politically sensitive cases. But the timing raises another question: Will there be any resolution before Nessel leaves office in early 2027? So far, there’s no indication of that either.
For now, the case remains in the same place it’s been for decades – waiting. And until something actually changes, the GarDella family is left with the same unanswered questions they’ve carried for more than 40 years.
