GUILTY NV - Julia Woodward, 21, murdered, Washoe County, 1979 *Arrest in 2019*

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On November 15, Sullivan was extradited to Washoe County on a grand jury indictment for Woodward's murder. Nevada's attorney general on Monday filed a motion to maintain a no-bail custody status against Sullivan pending his trial.

Sullivan is scheduled to be arraigned in Washoe County District Court at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
Officials: Possible serial killer caught in AZ tied to more crimes
 
In addition to the murder of Woodward, it is alleged that Sullivan is behind the 1978 murder of Jeannie Smith. The bodies of both Woodward and Smith were found with only one shoe, and with IDs and items of clothing missing.
Rocks near Woodward’s body were found covered in blood and hair, and it was determined that Smith died of blunt force trauma to the head. DNA evidence from Sullivan in 2007 was reportedly tied to DNA found on Woodward’s jeans, and composite sketch drawn in Smith’s murder closely resembled Sullivan at the time.

Linda Taylor, 23, went missing in 1979, and a tip led police to Sullivan. He denied knowing Taylor at the time, then admitting to going on a date with her. Soon after, Sullivan fled the state. Taylor’s body has not been found.
Prosecutors: Suspected Serial Killer Arrested in AZ Tied to Three NV Murders
 
For Cecily O’Connor, the 40-year wait to see her daughter’s killer brought to justice may soon be over.

For O’Connor, learning that authorities finally had a concrete lead in the four-decade-old case left her “dumbfounded” and “gobsmacked.”

“It’s been 40 years. I thought nothing would ever happen,” O’Connor said after the hearing. “This is wonderful.”

The anxiety and the nerves had been building for O’Connor as Tuesday’s hearing drew closer. When Sullivan walked into the courtroom, striding just a few feet in front of her, O’Connor could barely bring herself to look at the man accused of killing her daughter, sans a single, quick glance.

“I can’t look at him. It makes me physically ill,” she said.

“Forty years ago, Julia Woodward’s untimely death shook our community. And it has never been forgotten,” Ford said. “While the prosecutors in my office recognize the complexities and challenges that come with taking on a 40-year-old case, I am proud that we are pursuing justice on behalf of Julia, her family and her friends.”

Sullivan was remanded to Washoe County Jail pending his next appearance in court, scheduled for Jan. 30.
Mother ‘gobsmacked’ at arrest in daughter’s 40-year-old murder
 
jaejae said:
Here is another report about this case:

Prosecutor: Suspect in 1979 killing may be a serial killer
Click to expand...


Here is part of the above article:

“All evidence points to defendant being a serial killer,” state Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a court filing submitted ahead of Charles Gary Sullivan’s arraignment Tuesday in Reno in the 1979 bludgeoning death of 20-year-old Julia Woodward. Sullivan, 73, pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

Prosecutor: Suspect in 1979 killing may be a serial killer
 
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“Even if DNA shows he had contact with her, where is the act of murder proved?” Houston asked.

Houston and Sullivan didn’t challenge a no-bail order, and a judge set another hearing for Jan. 30.

Ford said on the courthouse steps in Reno that the long-unsolved cases remain open.

“Evidence may have gone cold, but our tears have never run dry and our quest for justice never ends,” he said.

In the court filing, Ford and prosecutors called Sullivan a suspect in the killing of Jennie Smith, a 17-year-old waitress at a Reno hotel-casino whose body was found in November 1979, and the unsolved disappearance of Linda Taylor, 23, in March 1979.
Official says 73-year-old Arizona suspect might be serial killer
 
Marin woman’s alleged killer arrested in 1979 cold case
Woodward left California on Feb. 1, 1979, when a friend dropped her off at San Francisco International Airport, authorities said. She was traveling to Reno to look for work there or in the Lake Tahoe area.

A motorcyclist found her body on March 25, 1979, in Hungry Valley, about 15 miles north of Reno, authorities said. The cause of death was blunt force trauma. Authorities said she was bound, gagged and struck in the head with a rock.

“One of her shoes had been removed, and holes had been worn through her sock, suggesting that she had been dragged or forced to walk through the rough desert brush,” Kovac wrote.

The case remained unsolved for decades. But in recent years, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office began a review of dozens of cold cases, including Woodward’s.
Marin woman's alleged killer suspected of more homicides
 
Here is another recent report with an update in the legal proceedings in this case:

Charles Gary Sullivan was indicted late last year of the 1979 murder of Julia Woodward whose body was found in a remote canyon in Hungry Valley north of Reno.


The case remained unsolved for most of four decades, but an examination of DNA evidence led Washoe County Sheriff's cold case detective Rich Bjelke to Sullivan who had back in 1979 also been a potential suspect in the murder of another young woman whose body was found in the same area.

But another case in 2007 in Nevada County, California also caught Bjelke's attention--the abduction and alleged attempted rape of another young woman who escaped.

Dismissal of charges sought for cold case murder defendant
 
Thursday, January 30th:
*Pretrial Hearing (@ am PT) – NV – Julia Woodward (21) (last seen Feb. 1, 1979 @ SF airport, found Mar. 24, 1979 near Eagle Canyon in Hungry Valley (15 miles north of Reno) - *Charles Gary Sullivan (77/33 @ time of crime) indicted (8/25/19), arrested (8/28/19 in Yavapai County, AZ), extradited (11/15/19 to Reno), charged (11/15/19) & arraigned (11/19/19) with open murder. Plead not guilty. Held without bond.
DNA Match. Under investigation in multiple homicides involving vulnerable young women. Authorities believe that Sullivan may have also killed two other women in the Reno/Tahoe area in the late 1970s: 17-year-old Jeannie Smith and 23-year-old Linda Taylor, according to court documents. Sullivan has not been charged in those cases, and Attorney General Aaron Ford, whose office is prosecuting the case, said they are focusing on the Woodward case.
11/19/19 Update: Plead not guilty. Sullivan was remanded to Washoe County Jail pending his next appearance in court, scheduled for Jan. 30.
 
@Suglo - can you access Washoe County court site? Was wondering if there might be the next court date. TIA! :)
 
Niner said:
@Suglo - can you access Washoe County court site? Was wondering if there might be the next court date. TIA! :)
Click to expand...
It doesn’t look like they have a public information area. It says one has to be an active party or attorney of record to a case in order to access the electronic records for free otherwise one has to pay $300 per year to access cases. Sorry! They do have the Judges and their court calendars. There are about 15 Judges. Do we know which Judge or Department is assigned to the case?

ETA - The Judges’ calendars have more info on each case for the coming week. It then allows you to expand the docket for each case. It’s too bad we didn’t look last week when he had the hearing on 1/30 because I could have seen the docket that way. I can check back each week if we find out the name of the Judge or their Department #.
 
In the post by jae jae #30 - has a court date in it & the Judge's name.

Judge Connie Steinheimer said she will rule on the matter no later than the next scheduled status hearing in the case. that's set for February 26th.

If she rejects Houston's motion, a trial date could be set at that time.

If you have the link for Washoe & the calendars for the judges - I'll put it on my look.every.day list if you like! :)
 
Niner said:
In the post by jae jae #30 - has a court date in it & the Judge's name.

Judge Connie Steinheimer said she will rule on the matter no later than the next scheduled status hearing in the case. that's set for February 26th.

If she rejects Houston's motion, a trial date could be set at that time.

If you have the link for Washoe & the calendars for the judges - I'll put it on my look.every.day list if you like! :)
Click to expand...
@Niner She’s in Department 4. This link provides her calendar for the next two weeks:
https://www.washoecourts.com/Judges/Calendar/D4
https://www.washoecourts.com/Judges/Calendar/D4

He is not on any of them for now but if you can not access this then I will check back every week.
 
Niner said:
Dang.... can't access it! :( I shall put your name down for this case then @Suglo! And thanks! :)
Click to expand...
@Niner As promised, I just checked Judge Connie Steinheimer’s calendar and he is scheduled for a status hearing on February 26, 2020 at 9:00 am in Department 4. His case number is CR19-1607. I can see the docket once his case is on her calendar. It seems there was a Writ of Habeas Corpus on 1/21/2020 and also a Motion to Set Trial at the last hearing on 1/30/2020. They don’t say what the rulings were on those. I’ll see if I can find a way to get to the docket with that case number in the future.
 
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