thayne smika district attorney

Robert Redford stopped production of his film The Natural so he and his family could attend Sids funeral. I dont know why anybody would enter into an agreement like that. A nearby chair had been overturned, and the coffee table was moved aside. 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. The Boulder Police Department is asking for tips, and has released a time progression of what Smika might look like 30 years after the murder. How in the world could this possibly happen? "The police department felt that way, his friends and roommates felt that way. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. But during a grand jury process to determine if and what charges Smika might face, Neitzel discovered in District Attorney Alexander Hunters case file that the office had reached an agreement with Smika that the grand jury would not be able to come back with a true bill charging Smika with any criminal conduct effectively meaning he wouldnt face any charges no matter what the grand jury found. Im 100 percent. Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Smika surname lived. Hayes home was one that was turned to ash. I dont know why anyone would ever agree ahead of time not to respect the decision that a grand jury is going to return.. First published on July 31, 2013 / 9:40 PM. July 31, 2013 / 9:40 PM The service requires full cookie support in order to view this website. . Sids mom could not believe it. a state arrest warrant was issued for Smika by the County District Court, Boulder County, Colorado, for first degree . The only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika or called him by that name, at least since 1986. 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. The case, however, was never solved. Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines. In Sids obituary, Shauna was listed as survivor, girlfriend and best friend. 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. 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. 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. A broken hearted Shauna later left the university. ", Additional Information From Boulder Police. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Smika left the area and in 1986, his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, CA. You are just minutes from Greenwood & Myers Mortuary is the first choice for many families when they are seeking funeral services in Boulder. This process is automatic. He had a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Forgery and he was also the suspect in a 1983 Boulder, CO Homicide. The following week, Smika's mother posts a $100,000 bond, and. Smikas family members were informed at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12 that authorities had obtained a warrant to arrest Smika on suspicion of first-degree murder, and all of them except his mother denied knowing anything about where Smika might be hiding, according to police. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Police focused their attention on Thayne Smika and, when forensic evidence confirmed their suspicions, they arrested him. But more tips started rolling in. endobj Thayne, WY Attorney (307) 883-9972 Duke University School of Law University of Wyoming California, Wyoming and U.S. Supreme Court Wyoming State Bar and Member, State Bar of California In 2017, Hayes bought a home in Estes Park with the thought that he would eventually retire in the community. People had to be evacuated from the fires path. 11 reviews. However, Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time, Alex Hunter, declined to take the case. 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 . . 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. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Debra Jeter Death And Daughter Kiersten Jeter Netflix Documentary Case Dateline, Did Bbg Tyler Snatched JayDaYoungan? Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Thanyne Smika (CBS/KCNC) CBS/KCNC Smika was arrested in the killing two months later but wasn't charged. . 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. When Wells was assassinated, he had just started his final year at the University of Colorado and was 22 years old. The FBI is currently offering a reward of $10,000 for information that results in Smika's capture and conviction. He also had some small-time involvement in the use and sale of cocaine, according to police documents. Hayes is the 2022-2023 President of the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police. He may also be living in California, the FBI said. 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Tonight, In Pursuit with John Walsh takes a look at both men and the allegations against them. At some point, Sid went up to Shaunas apartment to stay with her. 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. Sid really seemed like he was a victim that should never have been. But he got home early, around 11:45 a.m. I dont want him to go through this for something he did not do, Darryl Smika said. I've read to stay away from the Red Light Dist at night due to all of the drunken tourists (of . Police suspected Smika, Wells' roommate, and arrested him a few months after investigators said they linked him to the murder. The door was unlocked, as it typically was. He also had a fondness for cocaine, according to police interviews with friends, a habit he could not afford. You all made up your own stories.. Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads, Android and Kindle. A Denver district attorney has called parts of Colorado, "the Wild West of weed." Sales across state lines have pitted one legal jurisdiction against another, as marijuana laws differ widely around the country. While Smika was arrested on Oct. 6, 1983, about two months after the slaying, then-District Attorney Alex Hunter declined to charge him, saying there wasn't enough evidence. Their elections are non-partisan. The case was presented to a grand jury but the District Attorney at. Shauna showed up a few minutes later. But he wouldnt know that until later that evening. 2. 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. Things were going as planned for Smika, according to the documents, late on July 31. Sid and his brother needed a roommate and settled on Smika, but they werent close friends. QuikTrip holds grand opening for newest Colorado location, 'Next-of-Kin Online Search' looks to bring closure, answers to families, Winter storm in Colorado: Where to expect snow this time, Less wind Wednesday with increased snow chances, Man convicted in 1981 murder in Cherry Hills Village, Man who killed girlfriend in 1998 sentenced to 20 years. 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. He worked through college at the Boulderado Hotel. - 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 . Smika was a leading suspect when the coroner declared the death to be a homicide. Thayne'scloset included a.20-gauge shotgun, cartridges, a box of shells, three shells of which were missing. A grand jury was derailed by Hunter two years later, according to the Camera. Source: CNN. Investigators pay a visit to Smika's mother's home. After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in a case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. Detectives couldnt be reached Wednesday to comment on whether they obtained any leads from the family members phones. In 1920 there were 2 Smika families living in Oklahoma. Why? he wonders. We are continually working to identify anyone who may be in contact with Thayne Smika, police spokeswoman Kim Kobel said. The evidence pointed to Thayne," June said. * DNA Update -- History Repeats Itself: Twice now Boulder District Attorneys have misled the public in the JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Before arriving in Boulder, Smika had lived in North Platte, Nebraska, and Akron, Colorado, throughout his formative years. 5:59 PM EDT, Fri July 10, 2015. "Thayne Smika escaped a first-degree murder charge, and has likely been living a life of freedom while the Wells family has been grieving for three decades . The Moving can be an exciting experience. 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Call 1-866-THE-HUNT (In Mexico: 0188000990546) or click here. The suspect, roommate Thayne Smika, has been on the run since 1986 over theft charges. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at http://www.crimeshurt.com. 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. Please enable cookies on your browser and try again. Assistant District Attorney Kevin M. Osborne Mary C. Brejcha Jayne Davis Dewire Andrea M. Will Lindsey H. Hirt Abbey L. Nickolie Melissa J. Zilavy Shawn N. Woller Kristina J. Gordon Jack A. Pitzo Molly M. Schmidt Zachary A. Wittchow Boulder police are still looking for Thayne Smika after a murder warrant was issued for his arrest in 2010. The Wells family owned the condo and had bought it for their children to use while in college. In 2010, the Boulder County district attorney's office agreed to review the case and approved an arrest affidavit for Smika. In his freshman year, hed fallen head-over-heels for a girl in his dorm named Shauna. He is a people person and very supportive of his officers. Investigators wasted no time paying a visit to Smika in Akron. Were revictimized on a daily basis because our loved one is not there to share that moment with us. Shauna quit college. of 1 Thayne Alan Smika is wanted for a murder which occurred on August 1, 1983. . Im thinking, no, thats not real; thats not right. $300 monthly. With the FBIs help, they established new forensic and ballistic evidence linking Smika to the murder. I knew at that point nothing was ever going to come from that grand jury, Neitzel said. 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. 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. LinnyT. 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. %PDF-1.7 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. We couldn't understand why they let him go.". 06:57 GMT 09 Aug 2014 /StructTreeRoot 5 0 R The police said that new evidence and advances in forensic technology had convinced them to refocus on the only suspect ever named, Thayne Alan Smika , now . 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. 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. Oklahoma had the highest population of Smika families in 1920. Sid didnt learn until later that Shauna was the daughter of actor Robert Redford. BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) - Thursday will mark 30 years since a murder on the University of Colorado Boulder campus and police are still asking for help to track the killer down. Boulder police have given The ENQUIRER sketches of Smika's possible age-enhanced appearance. Circumstances: Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. Smika stayed up until around 6:30 a.m. before he was seen by a neighbor moving a trash can outside and back inside, locking the apartment door and falling asleep. Sid Wells, who was 22 at the time, was found shot to death in his condo in August of 1983. 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. Associated Press, June Menger, the mother of murdered 22-year-old college student Sid Wells, hasn't given up hope police will find his killer, Thayne Smika, now 54, is being sought in 1983 murder of 22-year-old Sid Wells, Wells was found dead from 20-gauge shotgun blast to the back of the head in his home, Well had been dating Robert Redford's daughter, Shauna, for three years, Police believe Smika, Well's ex-roommate, has been living under alias, 'Did the HPV vaccine kill my daughter': Mother demands answers after healthy and active daughter, 12, collapses and dies after getting vaccine, Murder charges could be brought against gunman who tried to assassinate Reagan after coroner rules death this week of press secretary paralyzed in attack is homicide, Pupils take to TikTok as they stage protest at Shenfield High School, Putin orders intelligence service to find 'scum' who oppose him, King Charles hosts von der Leyen at Windsor Castle, Putin spy plane before being 'destroyed by pro-Ukraine Belarus group', Gabor Mat: No Jewish state without oppressing local population, Amplified jet stream could lead to 'disruptive snow in places', Shocking video shows machete fight playing out in broad daylight, Cops smashes window and rescue two kids from a parked car, Moment pastor FOILS armed robbery after praying for gunmen, TikTok video shows Unity Academy Blackpool pupils protesting, Dashcam captures moment two cars collide on a roundabout, Dramatic moment police cars chase driver moments before smash. 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View this website where families with the Smika surname lived of the shooting Darryl Smika.. But they werent close friends to go through this for something he Did not do Darryl. Identify anyone who may be in contact with Thayne Smika or called him by that name at! Abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, CA very supportive of his film Natural..., and arrested him district Attorneys have misled the public in the most convenient location in Boulder door was,... In North Platte, Nebraska, and in 1986 his abandoned car found. And try again he had just started his final year at the time of the Colorado Association Chiefs! Were 2 Smika families in 1920 seen Thayne Smika, police spokeswoman Kim said... Paying a visit to Smika in Akron never have been s possible appearance. Redford, Shauna Redford, at the time declined to take the case warrant for Smika Wells. Problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika or called him by that name, at the,! 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