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. of 1 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. He was in debt, ducking out on bills and hiding from authorities, and was said to be sloppy, usually unemployed, moody, and easily set off by those who knew him. New DA furthers investigation, obtains new arrest warrant. A grand jury failed to indict him, and two previous Boulder County district. The Wells family owned the condo and had bought it for their children to use while in college. Currently Reading. And though Robert Wells remains cautious because of the cases handling over the years, he says hes hopeful that the renewed warrant will turn Smika up somewhere. Furnished living room. The only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika or called him by that name, at least since 1986. First published on July 31, 2013 / 9:40 PM. Momentarily the information will appear next to your cursor. 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. Last updated: July 17, 2020 Denver, CO 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. Source: CNN. District Attorney Susan L. Opper. Following his release from detention, they claimed it's conceivable Thayne spent a significant amount of time living in Yelapa, Mexico. Discovery Company. Sam and Sid Wells needed a third roommate to help with rent, so they posted an ad which was answered by 24-year-old Thayne Smika, a Colorado State University graduate from Akron in eastern Colorado. 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. An abandoned car registered to his father, who said he gave the car to Smika before he left town, was found in Beverly Hills, California in 1986, but there was no sign of Smika. 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. Sid was killed by a single gunshot wound to the back of the head from a .20-gauge shotgun shell shot at a near-horizontal, but slightly downward trajectory, the coroners office found, deeming Sids death a homicide. All Rights Reserved. Colo. police seek help with high-profile cold case. Sid Wells' shot-to-death body was found in his Boulder apartment on August 3, 1983. An autopsy showed Wells was shot execution-style at point-blank range in the back of the head with a 20-gauge shotgun. 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. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Debra Jeter Death And Daughter Kiersten Jeter Netflix Documentary Case Dateline, Did Bbg Tyler Snatched JayDaYoungan? A. Greg By Vicky Collins, Dateline NBCIt's an unsolved mystery involving a beautiful college town, a picture-perfect young couple and even a movie star.It all started with this classified ad in the Boulder Daily Camera, January, 1983.SPANISH Towers Luxury Condominiums. A nearby chair had been overturned, and the coffee table was moved aside. There was blood spatter underneath the note, which would mean the note was written after the death, Neitzel said. Wells had been shot in the back of the head at close range. . <> 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. With the Marshall Fire, he experienced being a victim, something he says has given him an increased sense of empathy in working with others. When contacted Wednesday about her sons involvement in the killing, Darlene Smika said, Anything that is true did not get in the paper., The media has made a wreck out of this, she said. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. "It's past time for justice for Sid Wells and his family," Deputy Chief Dave Hayes said. 16 0 obj Darryl Smika said he has theories on where his son is hiding, but theyre mine. He said he absolutely believes his son is innocent in the infamous homicide, and he hopes police never find him. What happened over the next several hours remains unclear, but by noon, Sid was dead. . 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. Smika was arrested Oct. 6, 1983 about two months after the slaying but then-District Attorney Alex Hunter declined to charge him, saying there wasnt enough evidence. Smika, who was 24 years old in 1983, was a drifter without a job who was attempting to avoid paying his bills and being arrested by the police after failing to make a mortgage payment on a home he had purchased with a friend. The former DA, Hunter, served as the Boulder County District Attorney from 1973 to 2001, when Mary Lacy became head of the office. Smika charged, but DA's deal throws case into disarray. 'The Hunt': Thayne Smika . www.officer.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. xZms6_*! Circumstances: Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Danny Pudi And Wife Bridget Showalter Pudi Relationship With Two Children. Smika left the area and in 1986, his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, CA. 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. He spent a little over half an hour airing out his sleeping bag and cleaning out his car before going upstairs to his apartment. Arkansas's prosecutors are known as Prosecuting Attorneys. stream Lakewood, Ohio. The state or Arizona has until January 4, 2019, to respond. endstream In Sids obituary, Shauna was listed as survivor, girlfriend and best friend. 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. Thayne Smika has been missing since 1986 after his mother posted a bond for the 1983 murder of his roommate Sid Wells. 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. Police said a possible motive was that Smika owed Wells $300 for rent that day. Neitzel, who has seldom spoken publicly about the case after his 1990 retirement, says he believes Smika is Sids killer, saying theres not a doubt in his mind that is the case, and that he hopes to see Smika arrested. The suspect, roommate Thayne Smika, has been on the run since 1986 over theft charges. Photo from the Boulder Daily Camera Spring 2011 Campus News She said Redford initially decided not to attend the funeral, worried it would become a media circus. After a cold case investigation in December 2010 an arrest warrant for the murder was issued. 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. Sam Wells still struggles with talking about that day. Smika's potential motivation would have been because she owed Wells $300 in rent that day. People had to be evacuated from the fires path. He loved the way her hair fell over her eyes. Then they learned that prosecutors had declined to charge Smika with the killing, saying there wasnt enough evidence. Smika was arrested on Oct. 6, 1983 for first-degree murder. Jihad Ramadan is wanted by U.S. I hope its solved, he said. Sid, Shauna and a friend eventually ended up back at Sid and Smikas apartment, and they drank and used cocaine, according to the documents. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. Police suspected Smika, Wells' roommate, and arrested him a few months after investigators said they linked him to the murder. This was about 33% of all the recorded Smika's in USA. After police ruled his brother out as a suspect, they began to focus on Smika. My brother is dead, and Im angry that the system didnt work better then. Robert Redford stopped production of his film The Natural so he and his family could attend Sids funeral. Wells was entering his senior year at the University of Colorado, and his death drew international attention because he was dating actor Robert Redfords daughter, Shauna Redford, at the time. ;}v;LZ%^(R(;_/"-Rqnv};!;.cs|CGA6. 1, 1983, but the district attorney determined that there was not enough evidence to prosecute. endobj 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. Boulder police release new sketches of Smika. This story was originally reported August 10, 2014. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Comments 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. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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 . Its something she and her family have never gotten over. Thayne Smika has been missing since 1986 after his mother posted a bond for the 1983 murder of his roommate Sid Wells. 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. 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