OR OR - Cherie Ayers, 29, Portland, 9 Oct 1980 - I-5 killer

[PonderingThings]

http://www.koin.com/news.asp?RECORD_KEY%5Bnews%5D=ID&ID%5Bnews%5D=2264

Cold Case Squad Links 'I-5 Killer' To 1980 Homicide
Suspect Won't Be Prosecuted

PORTLAND -- The so-called I-5 Killer has been linked to a 1980 homicide.

The fiancé of 29-year-old Cherie Ayers (pictured) found her body on Oct. 11, 1980, in her home. She died from blunt-force trauma and stab wounds.

Randall Woodfield, who attended high school with Ayers in Newport, Ore., was identified early as a suspect. But a blood test did not link Woodfield to the crime, and there was not other physical evidence. DNA testing did not yet exist.

Woodfield denied any involvement and refused to take a polygraph. The investigation was eventually suspended, and Woodfield was convicted of other Oregon homicides.

DNA has since linked 55-year-old Woodfield to the death. Because he is already serving sentences of life plus 90 years, he will not be prosecuted unless he becomes eligible for parole.

 

[Richard]

....DNA has since linked 55-year-old Woodfield to the death. Because he is already serving sentences of life plus 90 years, he will not be prosecuted unless he becomes eligible for parole.

I take it that Oregon has no death penalty? If so, this makes a good case for them to adopt the death penalty. I would still prosecute him for murder on this old case and ask for another hundred year sentence for good measure. What sense does it make to even say that you won't prosecute unless he becomes eligible for parole? Why should that have anything to do with prosecution of a capital crime?

 

[mysteriew]

Oregon does have a death penalty. I am not sure when it was enacted though, so it could be one of those cases where there was no death penalty in effect at the time of the crime.
I don't like the way that the non-prosecution decison puts the family in a double bind. After any death, families have questions as to exactly what happened and why. Hopefully, some of those questions are answered in a trial. But, in this case the investigators have to protect their evidence, in case of a future trial, so they can't open the case up to the family. And yet the family has little likelyhood of ever seeing a trial. That just seems so unfair to the family.

 

[Becba]

Oregon does have a death penalty. I am not sure when it was enacted though, so it could be one of those cases where there was no death penalty in effect at the time of the crime.
I don't like the way that the non-prosecution decison puts the family in a double bind. After any death, families have questions as to exactly what happened and why. Hopefully, some of those questions are answered in a trial. But, in this case the investigators have to protect their evidence, in case of a future trial, so they can't open the case up to the family. And yet the family has little likelyhood of ever seeing a trial. That just seems so unfair to the family.

I agree. It is murder and should be documented in history that this monster killed her. Her family should have some satisfaction via a sentence.

 

[meggilyweggily]

Oregon didn't have the death penalty at the time Woodfield was tried for his other crimes. He killed some people in California too, and could have got death for that, but they decided not to try him when they realized he was never getting out of prison in Oregon.

 

[Richard]

I agree. It is murder and should be documented in history that this monster killed her. Her family should have some satisfaction via a sentence.

By putting forth all evidence in a public trial, more information about this killer will be known and perhaps other jurisdictions will recognize his MO in other unsolved cases.

A major problem of "sitting" on evidence for some future possible trial (if this and that happens, etc) - is that when that trial finally needs to take place, evidence has had time to get lost or tampered with. Witnesses die, move away, or forget things. And generally things change.

A perfect example of this would be Fred Coffey's murder trial being retried after 8 years, and his death sentence being changed to life (in 1995), making him elligible for immediate parole. During all that time, nothing was being done with other child murders that he was suspected of, and now the trails, evidence, etc are all cold.

If this guy is suspected in any other state, county, or city jurisdictions of other crimes, then a joint task force should be created, all crimes he is suspected of, and all missing person cases considered and presented to him along with this murder charge. Hang the death penalty over his head and get him to deal.