California 1977 Cold-case Murder Suspect Identified As 69-year-old Former Army Private Living In Ohio

An apprehension has been made successful a grisly cold-case execution that has been "haunting" prosecutors successful California’s Bay Area for much than a decade, a territory lawyer told Fox News Digital.  

Willie Sims, a 69-year-old erstwhile Army backstage now surviving successful Jefferson, Ohio, was identified arsenic nan fishy who allegedly strangled Jeanette Ralston to decease pinch a long-sleeved garment successful early 1977 aft gathering nan 24-year-old astatine a barroom successful San Jose. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office announced Sims’ apprehension this week, citing caller fingerprint and DNA evidence. 

"This is simply a lawsuit that's been haunting each nan cold-case prosecutors for virtually since 2011, erstwhile [our] Cold Case Unit was established," Santa Clara Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker told Fox News Digital. "About a twelvemonth ago, we decided, ‘Hey, let's person nan fingerprints successful this lawsuit checked again.’ We caught a break past summertime erstwhile we sent nan fingerprints out, and we sewage a hit, which led america to nan beforehand doorway of Mr. Sims’s location successful Ohio." 

"Our guiding rule astatine nan Cold Case Unit present successful Santa Clara County is we ne'er forget. We ne'er hide nan victims. We ne'er hide nan family of those victims, and we ne'er hide nan loved ones of those victims," he added. "And we're ever going to activity justice, whether it takes 10 years, 20 years aliases 50 years." 

CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL TAKES STANCE ON MENENDEZ BROTHERS PROSECUTOR STAYING ON CASE AMID RESENTENCING BATTLE 

Prosecutors successful California revealed an apprehension successful nan 1977 unsolved execution of Jeanette Ralston. (Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office)

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office said friends of Ralston had past seen her live connected Jan. 31, 1977, "when she near nan Lion’s Den Bar astatine 1500 Almaden Road successful San Jose pinch an chartless man conscionable earlier midnight."

"On February 1, 1977, Ralston, past 24-years-old and surviving successful San Mateo, was recovered dead, wedged tightly successful nan backmost spot of her Volkswagen Beetle successful nan carport area of an flat analyzable adjacent nan bar," nan attorney’s agency added. "The aesculapian examiner concluded nan origin of decease was strangulation from a long-sleeve dress garment tied astir her neck. The autopsy besides showed grounds of intersexual assault. The slayer tried to ray her car connected fire, but it grounded to burn." 

At nan clip of her murder, nary suspects were identified, prosecutors said. 

The lawsuit past went acold for decades "until a fingerprint recovered connected 1 of Ralston’s cigaret packs was recovered to lucifer Sims successful August 2024," according to nan Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office. 

Baker told Fox News Digital that prosecutors antecedently searched for nan fingerprints successful this case, "but it wasn't until we searched again past twelvemonth wherever nan caller FBI's fingerprint algorithm made an identification." 

ATTEMPTED MURDER FUGITIVE BUSTED AS 40-YEAR SCHEME POSING AS DEAD COLLEGE MATE UNRAVELS 

Baker told Fox News Digital that a thumbprint from a carton of cigarettes recovered successful Ralston's car "is what led america to Ohio" and fishy Willie Sims, shown right. (Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office)

He described it arsenic a "major break" successful nan hunt for Ralston’s killer.

"It was an affectional time for america erstwhile we really made nan arrest, and surely it was an affectional time for nan family," Baker added. 

"I talked to Jeanette's son. He was 6 years aged erstwhile she died, and he was very appreciative of nan activity we did and nan activity that we had done successful nan case," Baker said.

Prosecutors said Sims was an Army backstage assigned to Fort Ord, a erstwhile U.S. subject guidelines successful Marina, California, astatine nan clip of Ralston's murder. He "was convicted successful 1978 for an battle to perpetrate execution successful Monterey County" and later "moved retired of authorities earlier his DNA could beryllium entered into CODIS, nan state’s DNA database," they added. 

DNA SAMPLE TIES ELDERLY MAN TO 40-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE MURDER OF TEXAS WOMAN 

A 1977 booking photograph of Willie Sims, left, and a sketch of a fishy made by nan San Jose Police Department aft Ralston's murder. (Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office)

"Earlier this year, DA’s Bureau of Investigation and San Jose Police Department investigators traveled to Ohio to cod a DNA sample from Sims pinch nan assistance of Ashtabula County authorities. Weeks ago, nan DA’s Crime Lab recovered DNA accordant pinch Sims connected Ralston’s fingernails and nan garment utilized to strangle her," nan attorney’s agency said.

Ashtabula County Prosecutor April Grabman told Fox News Digital that Sims made an first tribunal quality Tuesday successful Ohio and waived his correct to a afloat extradition hearing.

"I americium hopeful pinch Mr. Sims’ apprehension nan family tin clasp connected to dream that justness will beryllium served and, though respective years later, they tin yet bring immoderate closure to their loss," she said.

Prosecutors successful California said Sims faces 25 years to life successful situation if convicted.

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"Jeanette was astatine a barroom pinch 2 of her friends, and they were conscionable dancing and hanging retired and having a nosy nighttime out, and she ran into nan man who killed her," Baker told Fox News Digital. "We don't person immoderate evident relationship betwixt Mr. Sims and Ms. Ralston different than they met astatine this barroom connected Feb. 1, 1977."