The daughter of the suspect in the unsolved Houston Anthony Lankford case apologizes to the family of the victim Bethal Ann Rawls 17 years after her arrest

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – The court appearance of a suspect in an unsolved case painted a graphic and horrifying picture of the murder investigators accused him of 17 years ago.

This week, Houston police announced the arrest of 64-year-old Anthony Lankford in connection with the November 2007 murder of Bethel Ann Rawls, whose body was found in her apartment in the 10200 block of Bissonnet Street.

In the courtroom, where probable cause was being examined, prosecutors read the brutal details of Rawls' death, claiming that Lankford beat the woman, strangled her and stabbed her in her private parts.

This description was too much for the presiding judge, who interrupted the prosecutor.

“She was impaled. I am aware of the facts,” the judge interrupted.

Investigators said Lankford, who was identified as Rawls' co-worker at Memorial Hermann, was the last person she spoke to based on phone records. In addition, his DNA was found under Rawls' fingernails on both hands.

SEE MORE: Man charged nearly 17 years after woman found dead in southwest Houston apartment, records show

At the time of the murder, police said, several suspects were being investigated but were ruled out based on DNA evidence. Then, about six months ago, investigators quietly reopened the case, leading to Lankford, who they say agreed to DNA profiling that eventually matched DNA from the crime scene.

Lankford is scheduled to appear in 180th District Court on Friday.

Rawls, on the day of her death

Rawls' sisters, Janice Delry and Melba Robertson, named their loved one “Burt.”

“I'm so glad his time is up,” Delry told Eyewitness News. “He took my sister from me, and even though she's gone, she's always in my heart. But I can't pick up the phone and chat with him.”

An interruption in this daily ritual on November 11, 2007, made Delry feel like something was wrong.

“I remember going out to wash my car and I was still thinking about her. Then I started calling 'Melb.' 'Have you heard from Burt? I couldn't get through to her,'” Delry recalled.

Later that day, her sister Linda found 43-year-old Rawls dead in her southwest Houston apartment.

“I actually saw them when they rolled them out. I know Burt would have wanted me to be strong,” Robertson said. “So I'm going to try to be strong, but it wasn't a good day, no.”

Lankford was questioned at the time, but was never considered a suspect. Even Rawls' sisters admitted they didn't have him on their radar.

“A monster”

While Rawls' family can come to terms with the death, this is not the case for Lankford's daughter, who spoke ONLY ON THE 13THShe said she questions everything she knows about her father.

Chewonda Kimbrough said her brother was present when police arrested her father on Monday. Her brother, she said, did not know what was going on.

According to Kimbrough, she knew her father was violent.

“This violence has affected many lives,” she said, admitting that she too was affected.

When ABC13 asked her about a psychoanalysis of her father, she said, “He's narcissistic, he's a womanizer and he's violent. He seems like a monster to me right now.”

Kimbrough appeared in court Wednesday and urged prosecutors to continue investigating her father. She also apologized to Rawls' family.

“I'm sorry he did that. He'll never say he's sorry, but I will and I hope it's closure for them,” she said.

The question remains as to why Lankford allegedly committed the crime? Kimbrough was unable to provide an answer.

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