Buffalo police solved Joseph Thomas Jr.'s 2003 murder after a recent AV cover story. (photo by Christina Shaw)

In January, this newspaper ran a cover story about the unsolved 2003 murder of a 19-year-old man named Joseph Thomas, Jr.

Joe Joe, as his family called him, and a friend were both shot at close range in the Thomas family home on May Street.

Last week, we heard from Joe Joe’s father: The police have solved the case. In part, he said, it was thanks to our story, which was written by Charlotte Hsu.

After the story came out, says Joseph Thomas, Sr., a number of people came forward and talked to Buffalo cold case detectives about his son’s murder. As a result, police are satisfied that they’ve confirmed the identity of the killer, who has since died.

—geoff kelly