STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- More than two decades after a local teen was slain in a Steubenville alley, police have arrested a man in connection with her death.

Michael Harris, 52, is charged with one count of aggravated murder in connection with the stabbing death of 18-year-old Jill Howard.

Police found Howard's body in downtown Steubenville on Jan. 6, 1987. She had been stabbed 61 times.

Days later, police arrested 31-year-old Harris, who was Howard’s boyfriend, but a grand jury decided there was not enough evidence to take the case to trial.

In April 2008, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office reopened the investigation and soon after renamed Harris as a suspect. Citing advances in DNA testing since the killing and meetings with state investigators, local detectives obtained saliva samples from Harris to compare with blood evidence.

At that time, Howard's brother, Harry Howard, told NEWS9 he was relieved there was new life in the case.

"Hopefully this leads somewhere and not just to another dead end," he said. "It's a good feeling now that there's still hope. A lot of people live in good faith, and we're some of those people. We live in good faith."

Wednesday, on Webster Alley, where Jill Howard's body was found, her brother said he was relieved there was an arrest in the case.

"It's been a long time -- 20 years -- (but we) never gave up," Howard said. "I hope everything gets solved and everybody that's involved gets what they have coming to them."

Howard said he has been filling his family in on news of the arrest, including Jill Howard's daughter, who was just 3 months old when her mother was slain.

A Jefferson County grand jury handed down the indictment Wednesday morning. Immediately after, police arrested Harris at his home on State Street in Steubenville.

When asked by a NEWS9 reporter if he had any response to the allegations, Harris said, "Leave me alone. Get her away from me."

Paul Scarsella, a special prosecutor, has been assigned case because one of the Jefferson County assistant prosecutors was Harris' defense attorney after his first arrest in 1987. Scarsella said Howard's death was never a closed case.

"We were able to re-evaluate things that weren't available in 1987 that gave us some DNA evidence that led to this arrest today," he said.

Harris remains in the Jefferson County Jail pending his arraignment, which is scheduled for next week. A trial date is expected to be set at that time.

Stay with NEWS9 and WTOV9.com for continuing coverage.