Reigniting a Cold Case
Actor Robert Redford (A&S ex鈥58, HonDocHum鈥87) arrives in Longmont, Colo., in August 1983 for the funeral of Sid Wells (A&S ex鈥84).
It was Aug. 1, 1983, when聽Sid Wells聽(A&S ex鈥84), who was about to start his senior year at CU, was shot to death execution style in a Spanish Towers condominium in 抖阴传媒在线.
His killer was never arrested.
Twenty-eight years later, 抖阴传媒在线 Deputy Chief of Police David Hayes, originally assigned to the case, convinced District Attorney Stan Garnett to ask to have an arrest warrant opened for Wells鈥 roommate Thayne Smika, a longtime prime suspect in the case.
Smika, 51, is thought to be alive and living under an assumed identity, although he vanished in 1986.
The case drew international attention because Wells was dating聽Shauna Jean Redford聽(Art鈥85), daughter of actor聽Robert Redford聽(A&S ex鈥58, HonDocHum鈥87). Hayes has always believed Smika was responsible for the terrible crime because shotgun pellets retrieved from Wells鈥 body seemed to match those found at Smika鈥檚 eastern Colorado family home.
While police tested the pellets in the late 1990s, there were concerns about flaws in the tests.
鈥淭he current technology came through for us, and it finally came together,鈥 Hayes told the 抖阴传媒在线聽Camera.
Smika was arrested on Oct. 6, 1983, two months after the slaying, but then-district attorney聽Alex Hunter聽(A&S鈥59, Law鈥63) declined to charge him, saying there wasn鈥檛 enough evidence. A grand jury was derailed by Hunter two years later, according to the聽Camera.
Photo from the聽抖阴传媒在线 Daily Camera聽