Things were going as planned for Smika, according to the documents, late on July 31. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Lakewood, Ohio. New DA furthers investigation, obtains new arrest warrant. 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. 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. Living at Kimberly Court can seem like living in the most convenient location in Boulder. Wells' brother found his body August 1, 1983, in Wells' Spanish Towers condominium. 2. . Why? he wonders. I hope its solved, he said. Smikas friends and acquaintances thought Smika to be messy, unkempt and temperamental, according to the court documents. 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. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Massachusetts District Attorneys Association (MDAA) Massachusetts District Attorneys Association. Momentarily the information will appear next to your cursor. "It's past time for justice for Sid Wells and his family," Deputy Chief Dave Hayes said. In December 2010, the Boulder County district attorney signed off on an arrest warrant accusing Thayne Smika of first degree murder, but he has yet to be located. Wells was dating Shauna Jean Redford, the daughter of actor Robert Redford, and this brought attention to the case on a global scale. Police and the family believe he changed his name and disappeared. Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines. The case was presented to a grand jury but the District Attorney at. In 2010, the Boulder County district attorney's office agreed to review the case and approved an arrest affidavit for Smika. When Wells was assassinated, he had just started his final year at the University of Colorado and was 22 years old. 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. However, then-Boulder District Attorney Alex Hunter declined to file charges, and Smika moved away in 1986. . Following the murder, Shauna went on to marry university professor Eric Schlosser, the best-selling author of Fast Food Nation. You all made up your own stories.. Smika concocted an elaborate plan in which he said he planned to stake out their apartment and wait for the alleged thief to come in and steal the rest of the drugs. 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. It's time for justice, said Hayes, who has remained in touch with Wells' family over the last three decades. [Smika] gets a get-out-of-jail-free card a letter from the DA saying, nope, we got a grand jury going on but were not going to indict you. Were following up on all leads as to what his location may be, and this includes checking cell phone records of people who may be in touch with him.. 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. But when he walked inside, he found Sid dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Jihad Ramadan is wanted by U.S. Missing. She said she isn't bitter about the delays in getting a murder warrant. Circumstances: Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. Another man who lived next door to the Wells brothers told investigators that hed heard a loud bang, similar to a gunshot, at the time the coroner determined Sid had died. Report inappropriate content . Thayne Smika Missing Thayne Smika Follow Thayne's Case Smika moved out of his Denver, CO home in 1986. 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. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Danny Pudi And Wife Bridget Showalter Pudi Relationship With Two Children. [KGOV updated this report on Oct. 28, 2019.] After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in the case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. Smika, who was often late with rent, was supposed to pay Wells the day he was killed, investigators said. 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. Boulder police believe he may have a new identity and he may be working as a bookkeeper or accountant. Investigators are still looking for Thayne Smika and are asking anyone with information about Smika or where he might be living to contact . So thats when we started thinking maybe Thayne isnt so innocent.. 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 . For interview, call Sid, 443-****, evenings. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. www.officer.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. For nearly five decades as a police officer, Hayes has been on the helping side in situations of crisis and tragedy. 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. It's an unsolved mystery involving a beautiful college town, a picture-perfect young couple and even a movie star. But he had plenty of other friends and acquaintances. <> Police released his 1983 mugshot and an age-progressed image of what he might look like today. Re: Walking at night . 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. He asked her to be his date to the Navy ROTC ball, and from that point on, the two were inseparable. [But Im] optimistic that something is going to happen.. Smika told investigators he slept for a couple of hours that morning before he left to Akron at either 10 or 11 a.m. to visit his mother and sister, do laundry and get his hair cut and permed. Stories worth watching 16 videos. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. But in 2009, Stan Garnett took over as district attorney, with a newfound interest in the case. The former DA, Hunter, served as the Boulder County District Attorney from 1973 to 2001, when Mary Lacy became head of the office. Thayne Smika disappeared in 1986, and the police didn't issue an arrest order for him until 2011. How in the world could this possibly happen? Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. 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. It's like a partially opened door with a very dark room behind it, he said. 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. Please enable JavaScript on your browser and try again. There was just no sign of life whatsoever, Wells said. Thayne Smika for decades has been considered the main suspect in the death of Wells, 22, who was living with his brother and Smika in Boulders Spanish Towers when his body was found Aug. 1, 1983, shot to death execution-style. endobj 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. /MarkInfo <> 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. Smika was eventually let out of custody, and stayed around the area for a couple years. The suspect in this case is a man named Thayne Smika, a roommate of Wells' in 1983. After testing the crime scene, interviewing Smika at his mothers home, and finding a 20-gauge shotgun there the same weapon Wells had been killed with police arrested Smika on October 6, 1983, for first-degree murder. His sister, Tava Smika, currently lives in Vaughn, MT. 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 The trail has been frozen, but Boulder police said they haven't given up. According to the FBI, Thayne Smika hasn't been seen since he was freed from detention. For his first date with Shauna Redford, the two went to an ROTC dance, the site Daily Camera reported. After a cold case investigation in December 2010 an arrest warrant for the murder was issued. 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. Shauna quit college. She wants to find Thayne Smika and she wants to ask him, Why?. 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. 15:04 GMT 09 Aug 2014. Investigators pay a visit to Smika's mother's home. A nearby chair had been overturned, and the coffee table was moved aside. But Smika was still off the radar, and nobody had looked at any of the new evidence hard enough to pursue new charges. News. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. 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's daughter when he was shot to . Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, California. "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 only problem is no one has seen Thayne Smika since 1986 or even called him by that name. He didnt deserve being murdered.. /Lang (en) He had a warrant for his arrest for the charge of Forgery and he was also the suspect in a 1983 Boulder, CO Homicide. 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. . We heard Thayne Smika had been arrested, we were elated, and I thought, Oh, you know, got the family settled down and law enforcement did their job. Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads, Android and Kindle. He said it had turned into his nightmare too, she said. Authorities said Smika may be working in the real estate or financial industry. A. Greg Thayne Smika, who is believed to be living under an assumed identity, would be 54 now. - 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 . 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. Wanted for: Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution - First Degree Murder Wanted by: FBI Hair: Black: Height . Associated Press Shauna woke up that morning and left for work just before 11 a.m. She woke up Sid, reminding him that he was to have lunch with his mother at noon. Detective Tom Dowd may be reached at 303-441-3385. This was in the days before HIPPA. I dont want him to go through this for something he did not do, Darryl Smika said. Looking out the windows at the Louisville Police Station, Hayes saw flames consuming nearby bushes. Comments Thayne Smika is accused of fatally shooting his roommate in the back of the head on August 1, 1983, in their Spanish Towers apartment after Sid Wells demanded Smika pay back his rent. 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. With the FBIs help, they established new forensic and ballistic evidence linking Smika to the murder. . We are continually working to identify anyone who may be in contact with Thayne Smika, police spokeswoman Kim Kobel said. stream The Wells family owned the condo and had bought it for their children to use while in college. Middle Name: Alan. Allegedly Arrested For Murder, Debra Jeter Death And Daughter Kiersten Jeter Netflix Documentary Case Dateline, Did Bbg Tyler Snatched JayDaYoungan? Furnished living room. At some point, Sid went up to Shaunas apartment to stay with her. in 2011 the Boulder County District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and approved an. Police ask anyone with information about Smika or where he might be living to contact them. stream Were revictimized on a daily basis because our loved one is not there to share that moment with us. In 2011, the. Arkansas's prosecutors are known as Prosecuting Attorneys. Dave Hayes was a rookie detective in the Boulder Police Department when Sid Wells was killed. 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