The case was presented to a grand jury but the District Attorney at. First Name: Thayne Alan. He spent a little over half an hour airing out his sleeping bag and cleaning out his car before going upstairs to his apartment. 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. The story made headlines across Boulder County when Smika was tabbed as a suspect, though a friend was quoted in the paper as saying hed said the other man whom Smika had allegedly stolen the drugs and money from was to blame. My dad helped review medical charts to screen for possible suspects, said Hayes. When she came back around 12:15 p.m., her boyfriend was dead. at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. - 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 . News. When David Hayes left for work on the morning of December 30 last year, he had no idea that he would not have a home to return to that night. . Thayne Smika is wanted for the 1983 slaying of his roommate, who was dating Robert Redford's daughter at the time. The state or Arizona has until January 4, 2019, to respond. Its something she and her family have never gotten over. District Attorney Susan L. Opper. endobj I wasnt ready to retire, and this opportunity came available, said Hayes who turned 66 this year. Sid really seemed like he was a victim that should never have been. Pic Credit: U.S. It all started with this classified ad in the Boulder Daily Camera, January, 1983. For interview, call Sid, 443-****, evenings.Si. There was just no sign of life whatsoever, Wells said. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. This past February, when Estes Parks Police Chief Wes Kufeld announced that he would be stepping down in May after 34 years with department, 14 as chief, David Hayes threw his hat in the ring for the job. of 1 Judicial Circuit County(ies) Prosecuting Attorney 1st Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, St. Francis, Woodruff: Todd Murray 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. An autopsy showed Wells was shot execution-style at point-blank range in the back of the head with a 20-gauge shotgun. According to the affidavit, Boulder police received the requested information from the phone companies on Feb. 24. And his car melted in the driveway. 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. The police arrested Smika in connection with the killing two months after it occurred, on Aug . $300 monthly. . %PDF-1.7 We couldn't understand why they let him go.". 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. There was blood spatter underneath the note, which would mean the note was written after the death, Neitzel said. This goes back a long way to when I was 9 or 10 years old, and I am still in touch with Jim today, 56 years later.. There was blood spattered on a magazine on the coffee table close to a note Sam himself had left saying he was going camping, as well as another note from Smika: Sid/Sam Ive gone home to visit my folks for a couple of days and Ill be back Tuesday or Wednesday. 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. Comments Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. In his freshman year, hed fallen head-over-heels for a girl in his dorm named Shauna. Thayne Smika disappeared in 1986, and the police didn't issue an arrest order for him until 2011. Furnished living room. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. One of the most high-profile murders in Colorado's history remains unsolved after nearly 34 years, but police and prosecutors know who their suspect is and have an active warrant for his arrest. Sids murder happened a mile from where he lived in 1983, and the grand jury incident happened just as he was getting out of law school at CU. Sam Wells had gone on an overnight camping trip and was set to return around 1:30 p.m. Link Copied! In 2010, the Boulder County district attorney's office agreed to review the case and approved an arrest affidavit for Smika. However, then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter declined to file charges, and Smika moved away in 1986. . Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. "Maybe somebody will see something, maybe they'll remember something and they'll call us up and give us some information," Boulder Police Detective Commander Thomas Trujillo said. Thayne Smika, 55 Suspect in the killing of his roommate On the run since 1986 Could be in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico On August 1, 1983, Sam Wells returned from a camping trip to find his brother. The only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika - or called him by that name, at least - since 1986. Wells had been shot in the back of the head at close range. Last seen alive: October 01, 1986. But, after Smika moved in, they realized he wasnt very sociable and, Menger said, I think he was having trouble coming up with the rent money.. A grand jury failed to indict him, and two previous Boulder County district. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Debra Jeter Death And Daughter Kiersten Jeter Netflix Documentary Case Dateline, Did Bbg Tyler Snatched JayDaYoungan? [But Im] optimistic that something is going to happen.. "Smika's relatives have not provided any helpful information to the Boulder Police Department," police spokesperson Kim Kobel said in a statement. Middle Name: Alan. 7 Thayne Smika Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 7 Thayne Smika Premium High Res Photos Browse 7 thayne smika stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 2023 Cable News Network. Hayes never gave up on getting justice for the Wells family and, in 1997, Boulder police reopened the case. /Outlines 4 0 R June Menger, who is suffering from a terminal illness, is hoping to see Smika brought to justice for the murder charges against her son. A year later he joined the Boulder Police Department where he worked for 36 years before returning to the Louisville Police Department in 2014 to serve as their Chief of Police. Feb 24, 2023, 3:22 PM. Wells' mother June Menger says Redford is like a daughter-in-law to her, even though she never saw her son married. Smika would be off scot-free for the time being, which infuriated the still-grieving Wells family. A Warner Bros. 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. Investigators wasted no time paying a visit to Smika in Akron. Shauna, the daughter of Robert Redford and his first wife, Lola Van Wagenen, whom he divorced in 1985, dated Sid Wells for three years, and in his obituary she was listed among his survivors. 06:57 GMT 09 Aug 2014 This was about 33% of all the recorded Smika's in USA. 5:59 PM EDT, Fri July 10, 2015. Smika had spent his younger days in North Platte, Nebraska and Akron, Colorado before eventually making his way to Boulder. Smika was eventually let out of custody, and stayed around the area for a couple years. Boom, were going to get the rest of the story now and really find out what happened to Sid, his brother Rob Wells said. Under Garnett, an arrest warrant was issued for Thayne Smika, a roommate of Wells' and a longtime suspect in the case. Thayne Smika has been missing since 1986 after his mother posted a bond for the 1983 murder of his roommate Sid Wells. The suspect in this case is a man named Thayne Smika, a roommate of Wells' in 1983. His vehicle was recovered in Hollywood, CA in 1986. A short time later, his roommate, 24-year-old Thayne Smika, was arrested in connection with Wells' murder, but the Boulder District Attorney declined to file charges and Smika was let go. Theyll find nothing, he said. We are about being the guardians of the community and constitutional policing which is protecting the rights of everyone no matter what their race, immigration status or sexual orientation is, said Hayes. The case was presented to a grand jury but the District Attorney at the time, Alex Hunter, did not believe he had enough evidence to try Smika and released him from custody. A young man is murdered under suspicious circumstances. He should be considered armed and dangerous. I dont want him to go through this for something he did not do, Darryl Smika said. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at http://www.crimeshurt.com. Wind gusts were clocked at 70 to 100 mph. She said Robert Redford and her son were friends, and they went jogging and skiing together. She said Redford initially decided not to attend the funeral, worried it would become a media circus. After years of consulting with the manufacturer of the shotgun shells used in Sids murder and the ones found in Smikas closet in Akron, investigators were eventually able to learn that the three shells were uniquely old when they were used, had all been loaded into Smikas shotgun, and all had the same chemical makeup. When Wells was assassinated, he had just started his final year at the University of Colorado and was 22 years old. New DA furthers investigation, obtains new arrest warrant. Smika left the area and in 1986, his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, CA. 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. Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads, Android and Kindle. Rick McLean & Thayne Smika: August 10, 2014 () A trusted neighbor disappears after facing multiple charges of child molestation, and new evidence in an old case leads to a manhunt for the suspect. . It's time for justice, said Hayes, who has remained in touch with Wells' family over the last three decades. 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. 2. But authorities could not find him. He is passionate about what he calls constitutional policing. Most of what we do is not police work, it is community safety. www.officer.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. a state arrest warrant was issued for Smika by the County District Court, Boulder County, Colorado, for first degree . The FBI is currently offering a reward of $10,000 for information that results in Smika's capture and conviction. Did you encounter any technical issues? Prefer C.U. appreciated. Thayne'scloset included a.20-gauge shotgun, cartridges, a box of shells, three shells of which were missing. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. Looking out the windows at the Louisville Police Station, Hayes saw flames consuming nearby bushes. Johnson won the primary and then was elected in November in an uncontested race. Sids older brother, Sam, found his body. People had to be evacuated from the fires path. Please enable JavaScript on your browser and try again. but it can also be stressful. Smika moved to Denver then eventually left for California. 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. Following his release from detention, they claimed it's conceivable Thayne spent a significant amount of time living in Yelapa, Mexico. That summer, Sid was living with one of his brothers, Sam, and Smika in the Spanish Towers condos on 29th Street just east of campus. For interview, call Sid, 443-****, evenings. "The police department felt that way, his friends and roommates felt that way. <> In Sids obituary, Shauna was listed as survivor, girlfriend and best friend. This was in the days before HIPPA. Momentarily the information will appear next to your cursor. Darlene Smika the mother of the missing suspect, who vanished in 1986 refused to speak with detectives, police reported. The fire, which began at about 11 a.m., quickly spread to some 6,000 acres across a populated suburban area just south of Boulder. One friend said shed never known him to have had a job. 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. www.officer.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. And his younger sister told investigators that the first thing Smika did when he got home that day was wash a bag full of clothes some of which may have been bloody, a friend later relayed to investigators. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. But he came anyway because of his close friendship with Wells. Some of us have expressed not criticism but surprise Smika is getting another airing considering he's a cold case the previous most recent John Walsh show already did (as opposed to a new cold case and/or unused . 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. But Sid and a friend confronted him about the missing drugs, andSmika blamed their disappearance on another man. 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. Bond was set for $5 million in that case, the highest in Boulder history, said Hayes who believes Smika is living under an alias. Hayes graduated from a joint Boulder Police Department-Boulder Sheriffs Office Academy and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminology and political science from Metropolitan State University of Denver. It's like a partially opened door with a very dark room behind it, he said. Multiple experts confirmed it was highly likely that the shell used to kill Sid was a match to the other two shells investigators found, something Netizel says is the most damning evidence in the case. Authorities said Smika may be working in the real estate or financial industry. It would be unusual for someone to absent themselves from contact with any and all known family members for such an extended period of time, Detective Traci Cravitz wrote in an affidavit supporting the departments request for phone records, which was made public Wednesday. 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. The FBI speculated that Thyane Smika might also reside in California. <> I have no doubt in my mind that that shotgun was responsible for Sids death, Neitzel said. "Thayne Smika escaped a first-degree murder charge, and has likely been living a life of . A. Greg Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. Smika was chosen by Sid and his brother as a roommate even though they weren't particularly close. Police ask anyone with information about Smika or where he might be living to contact them. He said it had turned into his nightmare too, she said. 1, 1983, but the district attorney determined that there was not enough evidence to prosecute. 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. UNDATED: Thayne Smika is seen in a photo provided by the Boulder, Colo., Police Department. 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 Moving can be an exciting experience. Sidney Wells Murder And Case Update. He is a people person and very supportive of his officers. . upperclassman or graduate student. District attorneys are assigned to Arkansas's 23 judicial circuits. If you have information about Thayne Smika or his whereabouts contact Detective Jeremy Frenzen at 303-441-1890 orfrenzenj@bouldercolorado.gov. By Sid didnt learn until later that Shauna was the daughter of actor Robert Redford. 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. A Boulder Daily Camera piece on this development notes that Smika was suspect number one in the execution-style slaying from the jump. Smika's bail was set at $5million after the warrant was issued. His sister, Tava Smika, currently lives in Vaughn, MT. Thayne Smika was arrested in 1983 for the murder of his roommate Sid Wells, but the Boulder County Jail freed him after his mother put up a bond. Boulder police release new sketches of Smika. 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. The day before a long-sought arrest warrant in the high-profile 1983 slaying of Sid Wells was unsealed, Boulder police simultaneously called six relatives of prime suspect Thayne Smika to ask whether they had any information on the 52-year-olds whereabouts, according to newly released court records. But he wouldnt know that until later that evening. Im thinking, no, thats not real; thats not right. He loved the way her hair fell over her eyes. THAYNE ALAN SMIKA . Save. stream Currently Reading. Thayne Smika, a 24-year old college dropout, answered the ad. Please enable cookies on your browser and try again. With the Marshall Fire, he experienced being a victim, something he says has given him an increased sense of empathy in working with others. Re: Walking at night . 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. In the summer of 1983, 22-year-old Sid Wells was living with his older brother in their familys Boulder, Colorado, condominium and studying journalism at the University of Colorado. Hunter said he agreed not to pursue an indictment of Smika in October 1983, before the grand jury began its investigation, in exchange for keeping Smikas expiring $100,000 bond in force for two more weeks. John Walsh is looking for a man suspected of killing his roommate and has been on the run since 1986. But he was perhaps best-known around town in 1983 for being the guy who was dating Robert Redfords daughter, Shauna, who was also a student at CU at the time. But when he walked inside, he found Sid dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. 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