GUILTY ID - Tammy Bristow, 18, strangled by William Acosta, Sandpoint, 8 January 1987 *Arrest*

[PastTense]

"Investigators had no way of knowing 32 years ago that 18-year-old Tammy Bristow held the key, under her fingernails, to identifying the man who investigators believe put the rope around her neck and caused her death inside her Sandpoint home...

That apparent mystery ended Thursday when a grand jury returned an indictment against William R. Acosta, who was arrested in Ponderay Thursday afternoon on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with Bristow’s killing.

The case broke after Sandpoint police Chief Corey Coon authorized some of the evidence in the Bristow killing to be retested. Under Bristow’s fingernails, Idaho state lab technicians found DNA matching Acosta, who was convicted in 1988 of the armed robbery of a Sandpoint taxi driver, Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said during a news conference Friday. “Obviously, we feel DNA under the victim’s fingernails is strong forensic evidence,” Marshall said...

When the killing occurred, responding officers found no signs of forced entry. That led them to believe the suspect may be familiar with the victim. Marshall said Acosta was known to Bristow. She had been babysitting the child of Acosta’s girlfriend, he said."
Fingernail DNA links Ponderay man with unsolved 1987 killing in Sandpoint

 

[PayrollNerd]

Good golly, all that evidence and they focused on someone who’s behavior was odd. I hope they learned a lot from this case. I wonder if her parents are still living.

 

[PayrollNerd]

City of Sandpoint Facebook page post, lots of comments.
City Of Sandpoint

SANDPOINT COLD CASE HAS BEEN SOLVED:

On January 8, 1987, Sandpoint Police and other first responders were dispatched to an apartment in South Sandpoint in response to a call of an unresponsive woman. Upon arrival, Police located Tammy Bristow, 18, deceased. The cause of death was strangulation. There were no signs of forced entry and it appeared the suspect may be familiar with the victim and/or the premises. Detectives determined the motive may have been robbery because there was money unaccounted for at the scene.

The crime scene was processed and Fred Gauerke was named as the primary suspect and eventually charged with murder. After the preliminary hearing, the prosecuting attorney, Phil Robinson, reviewed the evidence again and filed a motion to dismiss the charges until further evidence could be collected. Gauerke remained the primary suspect.

In 2016, Sandpoint detectives reopened the case and sent the collected evidence to the Idaho State Forensic Lab for further testing. The lab located a male’s DNA. The DNA profile was tested against Gauerke and determined it was not a match. It was then entered into the CODIS system and came back as a match to William R. Acosta. Acosta was living in Sandpoint at the time of the murder and was arrested at his current residence in Ponderay.

A grand jury was empaneled Thursday, June 27, 2019, and returned with an indictment of first degree murder. Acosta has been taken into custody and is currently held in jail on a $1 million bond.

##

 

[PastTense]

"It's been 32 years since Tammy Bristow's death. That's 32 birthdays, 32 anniversaries and 32 years of looking for answers. New information released Friday, gives the community of Sandpoint some relief.

"It's a relief to all of us. I don't think she's ever been forgotten. Even though it feels like it at times," said Karen Bishop, Bristow's best friend since childhood... "Tammy and I were best friends for years, from elementary school and high school, and were roommates out of high school," Bishop said.

Bishop said she can remember the devastating moment of her murder like it was yesterday. "They said to go in and sit down. That's when Ralph said that my friend Tammy was gone," Bishop said."
'It's a relief to all of us:' Friend of Sandpoint murder victim reacts to cold case arrest

 

[PayrollNerd]

His DNA was under her fingernails. He had to have wounds or scratches on him. Seems like that would have been a big clue. I wonder what he told his girlfriend at the time as to how he got them....

 

[CastlesBurning]

Mediation anticipated in cold-case murder

SANDPOINT — Mediation is possible in a 1987 first-degree murder case pending against a former Bonner County man.

First District Judge Barbara Buchanan granted a joint motion Wednesday to postpone proceedings in William Ray Acosta's case for three months because the exchange of evidence between the state and the defense is still ongoing.

Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall and Public Defender Janet Whitney also stated in the motion that civil mediation to resolve the criminal case is anticipated, court records show.

A Bonner County grand jury indicted Acosta last year for the murder of Tammy Bristow, who was found dead inside her apartment on Jan. 8, 1987. Bristow was strangled with a ligature fashioned from a guy line for a tent, according to archival news reports.

A homeless man was initially a suspect in the killing, although he was never conclusively linked to the crime. DNA evidence collected from beneath Bristow’s fingernails was entered into the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System, also known as CODIS, which produced a match with Acosta’s DNA.

In between Bristow’s killing and his arrest, Acosta appears to have split his time between Bonner County and Arizona, where he served prison time for felony assaults. Authorities in Idaho believe those brushes with the law caused Acosta’s DNA to be entered into CODIS.

Acosta, 51, pleaded not guilty to the offense in September 2019. If mediation does not produce a result, Acosta is scheduled to be tried in March 2021.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

William Rey Acosta entered an Alford plea to the amended charge, which means he admits no culpability, but concedes he could be convicted if the case went to trial.

Acosta's plea will be treated no differently than a standard plea of guilt when he is sentenced on April 20. He remains held at the Bonner County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

A plea agreement in the case binds the court to a fixed sentence of no more than 20 years. Counsel for Acosta remains free to argue for a lesser fixed sentence. There are no recommendations on the indeterminate portion of the sentence, which is served upon completion of the fixed portion, according to the plea agreement.
Plea entered in Bristow murder

 

[imstilla.grandma]

While the nature of the plea in the case enables Acosta to maintain his innocence, that veil will be lifted when he is sentenced in 1st District Court on April 20.

"It's still a guilty verdict in the eyes of justice," said Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon.

Coon said he is grateful for the work done by officers and other officials at the time of Bristow's killing, although some have died since then. Former Chief Bill Kice died in 2009 and Det. Andy Anderson died in 2012. Former Bonner County Prosecutor Phil Robinson died in 2013.

Coon also tipped his hat to other officers who took up the case over the years. They include Det. Rob Dressel, Steve Feldhausen and Ralph Mavity. Detectives Mike Aerni and Skylar Ziegler inherited the case after it was reopened in 2016.

Coon said advancements in DNA analysis and reduced costs in such testing were crucial in the latest reopening of the case and the identification of Bristow's killer. The DNA evidence was collected from Bristow's fingernails.

"Really, one of the key factors was just that technology," said Coon.

Coon also believes the case never left the mind of former Coroner Dale Coffelt.

That belief is correct.

"Heck no. I could be stronger than that if you want," Coffelt said when asked if Bristow's killing ever faded from his memory. "It was always on my mind."

Coffelt said he places a flower at the grave of Bristow whenever he is in the cemetery where she was laid to rest.

Coffelt recalled that Bristow's murder shook the community. He remembers Bristow as a respected, hardworking young woman who was just starting her adult life.

"She was a friend to everybody and that's probably what got her into trouble," Coffelt added.

"Having a guilty plea through mediation alleviates that stress of not only going to trial but then having to come back and live through all the appeals," Coon said.

"I just want to say what an honor it has been to give some peace to the family after all these years," said Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall.

"Obviously, when you have a case this old there are factors that make prosecution tougher, such as both investigators having passed, witnesses whose memories have faded and, in this case, a third party who was the chief suspect for over 25 years," Marshall added.

Marshall said he will be seeking a life sentence with a fixed term of 20 years, which he expects will foreclose Acosta's ability to seek endless appeals. Acosta is 51.

"Tammy was a sweet and wonderful girl who should be in the prime of her life right now, enjoying her own kids and maybe even grandkids. Her life was ended in a cruel and senseless fashion by a young man who then let another innocent man sit in jail for almost a year. It is time now for Bill Acosta to pay for his crime," Marshall said
Officials relieved Bristow case is resolved