16 0 obj But he got home early, around 11:45 a.m. So thats when we started thinking maybe Thayne isnt so innocent.. <> The evidence pointed to Thayne," June said. 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. Police focused their attention on Thayne Smika and, when forensic evidence confirmed their suspicions, they arrested him. 06:57 GMT 09 Aug 2014 Smika was chosen by Sid and his brother as a roommate even though they weren't particularly close. Sid Wells, a 22-year old journalism student at the University of Colorado, was looking for someone to rent a room to. Thanyne Smika (CBS/KCNC) CBS/KCNC Smika was arrested in the killing two months later but wasn't charged. Darlene Smika the mother of the missing suspect, who vanished in 1986 refused to speak with detectives, police reported. 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. Sid didnt learn until later that Shauna was the daughter of actor Robert Redford. Thayne Smika, now 54, is being sought in 1983 murder of 22-year-old Sid Wells; . As a Catholic kid from a large family in South Denver, Hayes fell in love with Estes Park during summers at Camp St. Malo. /Outlines 4 0 R In 1920 there were 2 Smika families living in Oklahoma. 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. BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - 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' After police ruled his brother out as a suspect, they began to focus on Smika. Following the murder, Shauna went on to marry university professor Eric Schlosser, the best-selling author of Fast Food Nation. A grand jury was derailed by Hunter two years later, according to the Camera. That same year Hayes joined the Louisville Police Department at the age of 20. but it can also be stressful. Police focused their attention on Thayne Smika and, when forensic evidence confirmed their suspicions, they arrested him. Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. Police ask anyone with information about Smika or where he might be living to contact them. Im 100 percent. Oklahoma had the highest population of Smika families in 1920. When asked by the Camera on Wednesday whether she knows where her son is, she said, Would I tell you?. 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. 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. 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 But part of his story didnt add up from the beginning: His mother was away on a trip to Fort Collins all week. Link Copied! 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. Report inappropriate content . Now it comes down to finding a man who hasnt been seen or identified in 31 years. Source: CNN. 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 . This process is automatic. If you have information about Thayne Smika or his whereabouts contact Detective Jeremy Frenzen at 303-441-1890 orfrenzenj@bouldercolorado.gov. We are continually working to identify anyone who may be in contact with Thayne Smika, police spokeswoman Kim Kobel said. When she came back around 12:15 p.m., her boyfriend was dead. Updated Colo. police seek help with high-profile cold case. Detectives couldnt be reached Wednesday to comment on whether they obtained any leads from the family members phones. The FBI is currently offering a reward of $10,000 for information that results in Smika's capture and conviction. After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in the case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. www.officer.com is using a security service for protection against online attacks. Also Read: Debra Jeter Death And Daughter Kiersten Jeter Netflix Documentary Case Dateline. The service requires full cookie support in order to view this website. 2023 Cable News Network. July 31, 2013 / 9:40 PM Marshals in connection with a 2005 stabbing and Thayne Smika is wanted by the FBI for murder. Marshal Walsh shines a light on the current search for Jihad Ramadan, who is . , updated After Boulder police gathered additional evidence in a case in December 2012, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Smika. But as time passed, Sid began having trouble collecting the rent. 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. With the FBIs help, they established new forensic and ballistic evidence linking Smika to the murder. 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. Last Name: Smika. Several other rounds of DNA testing at labs across the country, including the FBI Laboratory, turned up scant evidence directly linking Smika to Sids murder, though they did find some circumstantial blood evidence. Last updated: July 17, 2020 Denver, CO DENVER In August 1983, Sid Wells was 22 years old and about to enter his senior year at CU Boulder with dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. . In his freshman year, hed fallen head-over-heels for a girl in his dorm named Shauna. The Wells family owned the condo and had bought it for their children to use while in college. A warrant for his arrest on forgery charges was issued out of Denver in early 1986, but he was never arrested and the warrant was eventually dropped. Smika, who was often late with rent, was supposed to pay Wells the day he was killed, investigators said. 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. All Rights Reserved. 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 issued a statement Wednesday saying they're looking for Thayne Smika, who is still being sought after a murder warrant was issued for his . A photo that accompanied a 1983 Associated Press article about Wells funeral showed the weeping young woman being comforted by her father on their way to the service. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. Im angry that the system let me down. Or, keep up-to-date by following Denver7 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 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. 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. Why? he wonders. 01:37 - Source: CNN. 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. What happened over the next several hours remains unclear, but by noon, Sid was dead. 15:04 GMT 09 Aug 2014. Or, keep up-to-date on the latest news and weather with the Denver7 apps for iPhone/iPads, Android and Kindle. 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. 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. News. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers. His vehicle was recovered in Hollywood, CA in 1986. Re: Walking at night . % Smika had spent his younger days in North Platte, Nebraska and Akron, Colorado before eventually making his way to Boulder. But when he walked inside, he found Sid dead on the floor with a gunshot wound to the back of his head. 100 posts. stream After a cold case investigation in December 2010 an arrest warrant for the murder was issued. 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. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at http://www.crimeshurt.com. Thayne Alan Smika, photo taken in 1983, courtesy of fbi.gov Smika was known around town as a college dropout and drifter. 6: 6 "Trafficking in . In 2011, the Boulder County District Attorneys office approved an arrest warrant for Smika on first-degree murder but his whereabouts are unknown. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, Calif. Robert Redford said in 1997 that Wells' murder still haunted him. In August 1983, Hunter was publicly criticized for his failure to file charges against Thayne Smika in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Sid Wells. 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. Authorities said Smika may be working in the real estate or financial industry. Smika's potential motivation would have been because she owed Wells $300 in rent that day. 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 was a leading suspect when the coroner declared the death to be a homicide. A grand jury failed to indict him, and two previous Boulder County district. 1, 1983, but the district attorney determined that there was not enough evidence to prosecute. Smika left the area, and in 1986 his abandoned car was found in Beverly Hills, Calif. Robert Redford said in 1997 that Wells' murder still haunted him. Please enable cookies on your browser and try again. Then they learned that prosecutors had declined to charge Smika with the killing, saying there wasnt enough evidence. Police and prosecutors know their suspect and have a warrant out for his arrest. When Wells was assassinated, he had just started his final year at the University of Colorado and was 22 years old. His vehicle was recovered in Hollywood, CA in 1986. 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. With the Marshall Fire, he experienced being a victim, something he says has given him an increased sense of empathy in working with others. 2. This was in the days before HIPPA. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Also Read: Did Bbg Tyler Snatched JayDaYoungan? How can a district attorney actually handle his grand jury in such a manner? The case, however, was never solved. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Associated Press It is his decision to solve this problem his way, and I have honored it.. June Menger, who is suffering from a terminal illness, is hoping to see Smika brought to justice for the murder charges against her son. The FBI speculated that Thyane Smika might also reside in California. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Investigators are still looking for Thayne Smika and are asking anyone with information about Smika or where he might be living to contact . 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. Wells had been shot in the back of the head at close range. 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. Shortly after, his roommate, Thayne Smika, 24, was arrested in connection with the murder of Wells; however, the Boulder District Attorney decided not to file charges, and Smika was released. The guy who you believe has done it has never been brought to justice, Robert said. For a list of Offices and access to their websites, either select "Directory of District Attorney Offices" or select a location on the map. Smika was never prosecuted because the district attorney at the time declined to take the case. Thayne Smika Warrant. This will be a great fit for Estes Park for a lot of reasons.. I knew at that point nothing was ever going to come from that grand jury, Neitzel said. 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