According to Trujillo, if Thayne Smika is still alive, he will eventually be caught, charged, and the case will be closed. endobj Save. Darryl Smika said hes unfazed by the police request for his phone records. According to the documents, he told some of his friends, as well as Sid, that he was able to figure out who the culprit was, and that he went and got the man drunk, then stole back the drugs and money, which he was supposed to deliver to Sid on the morning of Aug. 1, along with his rent. To that end, investigators requested and received a court order earlier this year to obtain records related to the phones belonging to six of Smikas family members including the phone numbers of calls dialed and received, as well as physical addresses, longitude and latitude, and GPS coordinates of cell towers used in those calls. The state or Arizona has until January 4, 2019, to respond. BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Colorado investigators are asking for help finding a man suspected of killing Sid Wells, a 22-year-old college student who was dating actor-director Robert Redford' Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers. But Sid was rarely home, according to friends, and was often with Shauna when he wasnt working or at school. John Walsh is looking for a man suspected of killing his roommate and has been on the run since 1986. Hayes never gave up on getting justice for the Wells family and, in 1997, Boulder police reopened the case. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Prosecutors at the time of the killing lacked the evidence techniques that have since allowed detectives to link shotgun pellets recovered from Wells' body to shells found at the Smika family residence in Akron, Menger said. As a Catholic kid from a large family in South Denver, Hayes fell in love with Estes Park during summers at Camp St. Malo. After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in the case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. A grand jury failed to indict him, and two previous Boulder County district. Smika was arrested on Oct. 6, 1983, two months after the slaying, but then-district attorney Alex Hunter (A&S'59, Law'63) declined to charge him, saying there wasn't enough evidence. Sydney Sid Wells was a promising student at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he studied journalism and was a member of the Navy ROTC program. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. Wells friend told police that the morning of Wells death, Smika was supposed to return some money to Sid, according to former Boulder County deputy chief Dave Hayes. Smika, who was also once an AMW web-exclusive, will be the first ever fugitive from 'The Hunt' to get an In Pursuit profile as well. $300 monthly. Hayes is the 2022-2023 President of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police. A nearby chair had been overturned, and the coffee table was moved aside. In 2011, the Boulder County District Attorneys office approved an arrest warrant for Smika on first-degree murder but his whereabouts are unknown. Smika was also profiled in the January 23, 2019 episode of the Investigation Discovery series In Pursuit with John Walsh. Last seen alive: October 01, 1986. Thayne.. According to court documents, Smika, who was 24 in 1983, was a jobless drifter who was trying to skirt paying bills and getting caught by authorities after failing to pay a mortgage on a house hed bought with a friend a couple years earlier. She believes Smika has had some very good cover for 30 years and has also had help staying off the grid. Boulder police are still looking for Thayne Smika after a murder warrant was issued for his arrest in 2010. An autopsy showed Wells was shot execution-style at point-blank range in the back of the head with a 20-gauge shotgun. Walking anywhere including the Red Light District is fine. Honorary U.S. The DA's office "did not think there was enough evidence to file charges"., prompting criticism of Hunter from the victim's grieving mother. Burkhalter, who had become a homicide detective, thought that the suspect might be a former patient at the clinic. Smika's family says the last time they heard from him was in 1986, when he said he was leaving town. When she came back around 12:15 p.m., her boyfriend was dead. The case attracted worldwide media attention when Redford halted production of The Natural, being filmed on location in Buffalo, N.Y., and came to Boulder for Wells' funeral. Wanted for: Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution - First Degree Murder Wanted by: FBI Hair: Black: Height . One friend said shed never known him to have had a job. He went on to work in law enforcement and as a special agent, and has since founded the Families of Colorado Murder Victims and Missing Persons (FOHVAMP), which helps families of victims in unsolved murder and missing persons crimes seek help in closing their cases. Darryl Smika said he thinks authorities are wasting their time and money looking for his son. A broken hearted Shauna later left the university. In 2022 Hayes was a Democratic primary candidate for Sheriff in Boulder County running against Curtis Johnson, a division chief with the Boulder County Sheriffs Office. Smikas father, Darryl Smika, told the Camera on Wednesday that the last time he had contact with his son was a month before he disappeared, and he doesnt have information on his sons whereabouts. Smika had spent his younger days in North Platte, Nebraska and Akron, Colorado before eventually making his way to Boulder. One of the most high-profile murders in Colorados history remains unsolved after nearly 34 years, but police and prosecutors know who their suspect is and have an active warrant for his arrest. Shortly after, his roommate, Thayne Smika, 24, was arrested in connection with the murder of Wells; however, the Boulder District Attorney decided not to file charges, and Smika was released. Marshals photo. If Thayne was innocent, she says, he would want to clear his name and live a normal life rather than hide out., For June, Sids death is as fresh as if it just happened. The following week, Smika's mother posts a $100,000 bond, and. endobj 1 0 obj For a list of Offices and access to their websites, either select "Directory of District Attorney Offices" or select a location on the map. MDAA is an independent state agency whose mission is to support the eleven elected Massachusetts District Attorneys and their staff, including approximately 785 prosecutors and 260 victim-witness advocates. Furnished living room. His longtime girlfriend, Shauna, was the daughter of actor Robert Redford, which was a major reason the story attracted so much attention when Wells was murdered. Thayne Smika Missing Thayne Smika Follow Thayne's Case Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. Police said a possible motive was that Smika owed Wells $300 for rent that day. So he started putting together another arrest warrant for Smika, which Boulder County District Court Judge Roxanne Balin approved on Dec. 2, 2010 more than 27 years after Sids murder. Police in 2011 issued a first-degree-murder arrest warrant for Thayne Smika, 54, . Now, a retired detective who worked the case back in the early 80s is speaking up for the first time in years in hopes of bringing closure to a Colorado family and an end to a complex murder mystery that has puzzled Boulder for decades. The 22-year-old University of Colorado student had been dating Robert Redford's daughter Shauna Redford for three years at the time of his death, and she was so devastated by the loss that she dropped out of college. They also found a box of shells with three missing. But that day fire roared through unincorporated Boulder County, and the communities of Superior and Louisville, Colo., destroying more than 1,000 homes and seven commercial structures. But in 2009, Stan Garnett took over as district attorney, with a newfound interest in the case. I dont know why anyone would ever agree ahead of time not to respect the decision that a grand jury is going to return.. In 1997, a police officer posing as a journalism student talked to Smika's mother, who said her son had changed his name because he was afraid for his life because he knew who the real killer was. endobj /StructTreeRoot 5 0 R Boulder detectives suspect that Smikas parents and siblings upon learning of the new warrant, which was signed by a judge Dec. 2 and placed under seal might have alerted him to the fact that police were ready to arrest him, according to court documents. Police arrested Wells' roommate Thayne Smika but the Boulder County District Attorney at the time did not think there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial. His vehicle was recovered in Hollywood, CA in 1986. June Menger, who is suffering from a terminal illness, is hoping to see Smika brought to justice for the murder charges against her son. Smika, who shared an apartment with Sid Wells in the plush Spanish Towers condominium complex near the CU campus, was arrested late Thursday at his mother's home in the eastern Colorado farming. Source: CNN. 16 0 obj Tonight, In Pursuit with John Walsh takes a look at both men and the allegations against them. 6: 6 "Trafficking in . On August 1, 1983, Sam Wells returned from a camping trip to find his brother lying face down on the floor inside the apartment. . In 1920 there were 2 Smika families living in Oklahoma. Hayes worked on many cocaine cases in the 1970s and 1980s and was an investigator in the 1983 homicide of Sid Wells a University of Colorado student who was dating Robert Redfords daughter Shauna. 100 posts. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. A Boulder County grand jury was convened to investigate the homicide but failed to issue an indictment in 1985 after Hunter made a secret agreement with Smika's public . His roommate Thayne Smika, who was reportedly due to pay rent that day, was soon named as the number one suspect for the shocking murder. My view is the warrant couldve been approved long ago, and had it been, its possible that Mr. Smika mightve been found more quickly, Garnett said. Smika's potential motivation would have been because she owed Wells $300 in rent that day. Now it comes down to finding a man who hasnt been seen or identified in 31 years. Lakewood, Ohio. Thayne Smika was accused of killing his roommate Sid Wells in August 1983, and the case hasn't been solved yet. * DNA Update -- History Repeats Itself: Twice now Boulder District Attorneys have misled the public in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Police believe Thayne Smika could be hiding in Mexico or California under an assumed identity. Thayne Smika has been missing since 1986 after his mother posted a bond for the 1983 murder of his roommate Sid Wells. Authorities said Smika may be working in the real estate or financial industry. Bond was set for $5 million in that case, the highest in Boulder history, said Hayes who believes Smika is living under an alias. With the FBIs help, they established new forensic and ballistic evidence linking Smika to the murder. 15:04 GMT 09 Aug 2014. In 2010, armed with more sophisticated forensic and ballistic evidence, he says he was once again able to pinpoint Thayne Smika as the likely killer. He is passionate about what he calls constitutional policing. Most of what we do is not police work, it is community safety. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. but it can also be stressful. Sidney Wells Murder And Case Update. But as time passed, Sid began having trouble collecting the rent. Report inappropriate content . Trujillo said if Smika is still alive, he's confident he'll eventually be caught and prosecuted and the case will finally be solved. Circumstances: Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in a case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. Thayne Alan Smika, photo taken in 1983, courtesy of fbi.gov Smika was known around town as a college dropout and drifter. The first grand jury did not issue an indictment for murder believed to be a result of misconduct by the district attorney. Discovery Company. Earlier this month, Arias's present attorneys, Peg Green and Corey Engle, filed a 324-page appeal on behalf of the imprisoned murderer, asking that her conviction be overturned. Darlene Smika the mother of the missing suspect, who vanished in 1986 refused to speak with detectives, police reported. He spent a little over half an hour airing out his sleeping bag and cleaning out his car before going upstairs to his apartment. But he got home early, around 11:45 a.m. Robert was enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard at the time of his brothers death, but has long maintained an active role in the investigation. However, Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time, Alex Hunter, declined to take the case. Sid told his mom his new roommate was kind of weird and unsocial but, since he came from a small, neighboring town near the Wells family, Sid thoughthe must be OK. Smika rented the room. / CBS Colorado. LinnyT. That same year Hayes joined the Louisville Police Department at the age of 20. The case, however, was never solved. Smika's abandoned car was discovered in California in 1986. According to court documents, he told his family members to get passports in order to be able to visit him, implying that he would be leaving the country, but his family claims they havent heard from him since either. Sids mother, June Menger, describes her youngest son as a good-looking, vivacious, young man who was interning at a local television station and wanted to fly jets for the U.S. Navy. Subscribe Fred Neitzel, now retired, was one of the Boulder Police Department detectives on the case at the time, and says that a host of evidence played into the decision to arrest Smika, but his note saying he was leaving town may have been the biggest factor. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. An advocate of mental health co-responders working alongside police officers, Hayes said, We want to be the people that people in the community call when they have a problem., Dave is just a natural, said Hayes long-time mentor, Burkhalter. Recent information indicates he may be living near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. However, then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter declined to file charges, and Smika moved away in 1986. . Also Read: Debra Jeter Death And Daughter Kiersten Jeter Netflix Documentary Case Dateline. FBI investigators also said they connected three shotgun shells found in Smikas mothers home in eastern Colorado with the one that killed Wells test results that have since been questioned. 7 0 obj Sid Wells, a 22-year old journalism student at the University of Colorado, was looking for someone to rent a room to. Stories worth watching (13 Videos) Roommate missing after killing $300 monthly. Police suspected Smika, Wells' roommate, and arrested him a few months after investigators said they linked him to the murder. In December 2012, a judge signed an arrest warrant for Smika after Boulder police developed more evidence in the case. A Boulder Daily Camera piece on this development notes that Smika was suspect number one in the execution-style slaying from the jump. And though Robert and his remaining family members say they still continue to feel Sids loss and it is sometimes a challenge to find hope, he says hes optimistic that Smika will be found at brought to justice. The case went cold and remained closed for years until Boulder police Deputy Chief David Hayes and Detective Melissa Kampf reopened it in 1997 when a new witness offered information about Smikas actions around the time of the homicide. For nearly five decades as a police officer, Hayes has been on the helping side in situations of crisis and tragedy. But when he walked inside, he found Sid dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Under Garnett, an arrest warrant was issued for Thayne Smika, a roommate of Wells' and a longtime suspect in the case. Robert Redford stopped production of his film The Natural so he and his family could attend Sids funeral. An aspiring journalist, Wells also was part of the universitys Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Danny Pudi And Wife Bridget Showalter Pudi Relationship With Two Children. Re: Walking at night . Updated . You will be redirected once the validation is complete. The FBI speculated that Thyane Smika might also reside in California. She wants to find Thayne Smika and she wants to ask him, Why?. Smika moved to Denver then eventually left for California. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Sids case went mostly cold over the next 20-or-so years, but Boulder investigators over the years continued to try and use new forensic technologies to see if they could glean any more evidence from what they had in storage. Theyll find nothing, he said. Police focused their attention on Thayne Smika and, when forensic evidence confirmed their suspicions, they arrested him. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, Calif. Wells'. Finding Smika is especially urgent because June Menger is now battling stage four cancer and would like closure and justice for her son in her lifetime. He immediately called police, his shock apparent in the 911 recording. IE 11 is not supported. A grand jury convened to investigate the homicide, but failed issue an indictment in 1985 after Hunter made a clandestine deal with Smikas public defender. That, according to police interviews, made for easy pickings for Smika, who was apparently one of only two people aside from Sid who knew where he kept his stash. His home of 32 years, where he raised two daughters, was a half mile from the police station, but Hayess attention was on a joint operation with area sheriff, police and fire departments. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. 15 0 obj I believe the motive was the money and the cocaine, and that Thayne got found out from Sid that he was not being up and up, Neitzel added. Shauna quit college. The guy who you believe has done it has never been brought to justice, Robert said. Investigators wasted no time paying a visit to Smika in Akron. Arkansas's prosecutors are known as Prosecuting Attorneys. . - DNA Not from a Single Intruder: In 2016 Boulder's Daily Camera and Denver's 9News obtained the crime scene DNA report and their undisputed analysis found that in two of the three DNA specimens, the "a 3rd person's . What happened over the next several hours remains unclear, but by noon, Sid was dead. /Lang (en) Shauna went back to her place, which was also in Spanish Towers, and Sid, Smika and the other man stayed back and did more cocaine into the early morning hours. 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