GUILTY WA - Jody Loomis, 20, Mill Creek, raped/shot, 23 August 1972, *Arrest in 2019 DNA*

[Niner]

@dotr - find any local news? I'm still just getting old articles (again!) & the court site hasn't been updated either....

Tuesday, November 3rd:
*Trial Continues (Day 7) (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jody Loomis (20) (Aug. 23, 1972, Mill Creek) - *Terrence Miller (30 @ time of crime/77/now 78) arrested (4/10/19), charged (4/12/19) & arraigned (4/15/19) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. $1M bond reduced (5/31/19) to $750K, back (7/17/19) to $1M. Out on bond.
Parabon Nanolabs/GEDMatch (DNA match from a coffee cup to that of semen collected from Loomis’ boots).
Release on bond conditions: having to wear an ankle monitor and only being permitted to leave the house for certain reasons such as the court, grocery shopping & doctor’s appointments.
Trial began on 10/26/20 (3 to 4 week trial to 11/16). Jury selection was from 10/19 to 10/23/20.
Court info from 4/12/19 thru 10/16/20 & Jury selection (10/19-10/23/20) & Trial Day 1-4 (10/26/20-10/29/20) reference post #100 here:
WA - Jody Loomis, 20, Mill Creek, raped/shot, 23 August 1972, *Arrest in 2019 DNA*
10/30/20 Trial Day 5 Friday: Testimony included additional information from detectives & others who examined the evidence over the years. The final witness on Friday was the DNA analyst who prepared the most recent DNA profile from the sample extracted from the victim’s boot. Further testimony scheduled for next week will come from additional DNA analysts involved in extracting the crime scene sample & other samples (for example, that of Thomas Morris) pertinent to the case. It will also include evidence from recorded jailhouse phone conversations made by the defendant while he was incarcerated. Proceedings will resume at 9 am Monday, Nov. 2 when the state will continue presenting its case. The trial will likely last at least through the end of next week & could take longer.
11/2/20 Trial Day 6 Monday: No info available yet. And no update in court site either. Trial continues on 11/3/20.

 

[dotr]

No updates to be found so far, maybe later today there will be something..

 

[Niner]

No updates to be found so far, maybe later today there will be something..

Thanks for checking!

 

[Niner]

Wednesday, November 4th:
*Trial Continues (Day 8) (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jody Loomis (20) (Aug. 23, 1972, Mill Creek) - *Terrence Miller (30 @ time of crime/77/now 78) arrested (4/10/19), charged (4/12/19) & arraigned (4/15/19) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. $1M bond reduced (5/31/19) to $750K, back (7/17/19) to $1M. Out on bond.
Parabon Nanolabs/GEDMatch (DNA match from a coffee cup to that of semen collected from Loomis’ boots).
Release on bond conditions: having to wear an ankle monitor and only being permitted to leave the house for certain reasons such as the court, grocery shopping & doctor’s appointments.
Trial began on 10/26/20 (3 to 4 week trial to 11/16). Jury selection was from 10/19 to 10/23/20.
Court info from 4/12/19 thru 10/16/20 & Jury selection (10/19-10/23/20) & Trial Day 1-5 (10/26/20-10/30/20) reference post #101 here:
WA - Jody Loomis, 20, Mill Creek, raped/shot, 23 August 1972, *Arrest in 2019 DNA*
11/2/20 Trial Day 6 Monday: Order: edits to court reporter transcript; Ex-Parte action with order. Trial continues on 11/3/20.
11/3/20 Trial Day 7 Tuesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/4/20.

 

[Niner]

Latest update in court site:

11/02/2020 Order
Judicial Officer: Kurtz, David A
Comment: Regarding Edits to Court Reporter Transcript

11/02/2020 Ex Parte Action With Order


link: Odyssey Portal - Washington Courts Online Case Search

 

[Niner]

The court site is down (again!) this morning - so can't check to see what's going on.

Thursday, November 5th:
*Trial Continues (Day 9) (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jody Loomis (20) (Aug. 23, 1972, Mill Creek) - *Terrence Miller (30 @ time of crime/77/now 78) arrested (4/10/19), charged (4/12/19) & arraigned (4/15/19) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. $1M bond reduced (5/31/19) to $750K, back (7/17/19) to $1M. Out on bond.
Parabon Nanolabs/GEDMatch (DNA match from a coffee cup to that of semen collected from Loomis’ boots).
Release on bond conditions: having to wear an ankle monitor and only being permitted to leave the house for certain reasons such as the court, grocery shopping & doctor’s appointments.
Trial began on 10/26/20 (3 to 4 week trial to 11/16). Jury selection was from 10/19 to 10/23/20.
Court info from 4/12/19 thru 10/16/20 & Jury selection (10/19-10/23/20) & Trial Day 1-5 (10/26/20-10/30/20) reference post #101 here:
WA - Jody Loomis, 20, Mill Creek, raped/shot, 23 August 1972, *Arrest in 2019 DNA*
11/2/20 Trial Day 6 Monday: Order: edits to court reporter transcript; Ex-Parte action with order. Trial continues on 11/3/20.
11/3/20 Trial Day 7 Tuesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/4/20.
11/4/20 Trial Day 8 Wednesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/5/20.

 

[Niner]

Figures - the court site is down again for me....

Friday, November 6th:
*Trial Continues (Day 10) (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jody Loomis (20) (Aug. 23, 1972, Mill Creek) - *Terrence Miller (30 @ time of crime/77/now 78) arrested (4/10/19), charged (4/12/19) & arraigned (4/15/19) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. $1M bond reduced (5/31/19) to $750K, back (7/17/19) to $1M. Out on bond.
Parabon Nanolabs/GEDMatch (DNA match from a coffee cup to that of semen collected from Loomis’ boots).
Release on bond conditions: having to wear an ankle monitor and only being permitted to leave the house for certain reasons such as the court, grocery shopping & doctor’s appointments.
Trial began on 10/26/20 (3 to 4 week trial to 11/16). Jury selection was from 10/19 to 10/23/20.
Court info from 4/12/19 thru 10/16/20 & Jury selection (10/19-10/23/20) & Trial Day 1-5 (10/26/20-10/30/20) reference post #101 here:
WA - Jody Loomis, 20, Mill Creek, raped/shot, 23 August 1972, *Arrest in 2019 DNA*
11/2/20 Trial Day 6 Monday: Order: edits to court reporter transcript; Ex-Parte action with order. Trial continues on 11/3/20.
11/3/20 Trial Day 7 Tuesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/4/20.
11/4/20 Trial Day 8 Wednesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/5/20.
11/5/20 Trial Day 9 Thursday: No info yet. Trial continues on 11/6/20.

 

[Niner]

Couldn't access the court site this morning.... again...

But I did get some alerts!! The jury is deliberating in this case. They started Friday about 4 hours worth - and ill continue on Monday.

Here's the article I got in my alert - had to put it into Outline.

Here's an article from Friday's trial.

Defense challenges integrity of DNA evidence in 1972 murder | HeraldNet.com

 

[JerseyGirl]

Fate of Edmonds man in hands of jury as cold-case trial ends

Closing arguments were made to the jury on Friday.

Presented by Craig Matheson, the prosecution stressed the importance of considering both direct and circumstantial evidence, advising jurors to “use their common sense” in examining these. He pointed out that the victim and defendant did not know each other and described the crime as a “crime of opportunity.” Focusing on the key evidence – the DNA upon which the entire case hinges – Matheson described as “ludicrous” any claim that the boots were stained by anyone’s semen other than that belonging to Miller (a possibility raised earlier by the defense team), and that any deviations from lab protocol do not change the fact that the DNA on the boot matches the suspect.

“The location was perfect,” Matheson continued. “It was wooded, easy ingress and egress, not visible from the road. A perfect place to do what you want without being observed. He lured or forced her into the woods, raped her, shot her in the head, and left her in the dirt to die. I ask you to convict him of first-degree murder.”

Closing arguments by the defense centered on the compromised evidence and that nothing in the evidence precludes the possibility that Jody Loomis could have been killed by someone else.

“The pieces just don’t fit,” stressed defense attorney Laura Martin. “From the tiniest spot of semen on the outside of the boot, Mr. Miller became the defendant in a very serious case. But no witness has been able to connect him to the crime.”

Martin went on to cast doubt on the physical evidence, citing “very poor evidence handling” including keeping it in unsealed bags, handling it without gloves, and storing it in “unknown locations.” She raised doubts about treatment of the evidence by various personnel who examined it, stressing that there is no way to know who handled it or even if the same evidence was returned to the storage facility. Pointing to the evidence that had been lost as a further example of sloppy procedures, she asked “where did it go?”

Citing the contamination, she referred to the analyst whose DNA was found in the reference sample as a “sluffer” whose work is “sloppy,” adding that he “makes up his own rules as he goes along” and is “more concerned about getting results than following proper procedures.”

She characterized Miller as a “normal guy” who raised five daughters, was married four times, was a heavy equipment operator, and liked bowling and golf. He went through two divorces in the early 1970s, which account for his statements about a dark period in his life, and that any statements about going to prison stem from him knowing enough about DNA evidence to be “just plain scared” that he would not be able to defend himself regardless of guilt or innocence.

“The fact that his DNA was found on the boot is not proof of murder,” she concluded. “There is no way to know where it came from or when it was deposited. I know you will find reasonable doubt, and that you will come to the only possible conclusion – not guilty.”

 

[Niner]

Monday, November 9th:
*Trial Continues (Day 11)-VERDICT WATCH! (@ 9am PT) – WA – Jody Loomis (20) (Aug. 23, 1972, Mill Creek) - *Terrence Miller (30 @ time of crime/77/now 78) arrested (4/10/19), charged (4/12/19) & arraigned (4/15/19) with 1st degree premeditated murder. Plead not guilty. $1M bond reduced (5/31/19) to $750K, back (7/17/19) to $1M. Out on bond.
Parabon Nanolabs/GEDMatch (DNA match from a coffee cup to that of semen collected from Loomis’ boots).
Release on bond conditions: having to wear an ankle monitor and only being permitted to leave the house for certain reasons such as the court, grocery shopping & doctor’s appointments.
Trial began on 10/26/20 (3 to 4 week trial to 11/16). Jury selection was from 10/19 to 10/23/20.
Court info from 4/12/19 thru 10/16/20 & Jury selection (10/19-10/23/20) & Trial Day 1-5 (10/26/20-10/30/20) reference post #101 here:
VERDICT WATCH - WA - Jody Loomis, 20, Mill Creek, raped/shot, 23 August 1972, *Arrest in 2019 DNA*
11/2/20 Trial Day 6 Monday: Order: edits to court reporter transcript; Ex-Parte action with order. Trial continues on 11/3/20.
11/3/20 Trial Day 7 Tuesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/4/20.
11/4/20 Trial Day 8 Wednesday: No info available yet. Trial continues on 11/5/20.
11/5/20 Trial Day 9 Thursday: State witnesses: Snohomish County sheriff’s detective Kendra Conley. Jail phone call with his wife was played for jurors. State rested their case. Defense called no witnesses. No other info. Trial continues on 11/6/20.
11/6/20 Trial Day 10 Friday: Closing arguments by Deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson & defense attorney Laura Martin. An attorney read a brief agreed-upon statement detailing how a detective had searched Miller’s electronics but found nothing relevant to the case. With that, the defense rested without calling any witnesses. Rebuttal by deputy prosecutor Bob Langbehn. Jury started deliberations. Jurors deliberated for about four hours Friday. Superior Court Judge David Kurtz sent them home for the weekend, and instructed them to resume their discussions Monday, 11/9/20.

 

[faithx]

Edmonds man dies in apparent suicide hours before jury finds him guilty in 1972 killing of Bothell woman

"Edmonds resident Terrence Miller died of an apparent suicide early Monday morning in his Edmonds home, just hours before the jury pronounced him guilty in the 1972 cold-case murder of then 20-year-old Jody Loomis of Bothell.

The two-week Snohomish County Superior Court trial concluded at midday on Friday, and the seven-woman, five-man jury spent the remainder of the day in deliberation. Jurors reconvened Monday morning, and shortly afterward informed the court that they had reached a verdict. The judge and legal teams from both sides were informed, and directed to be in court at 1 p.m. to hear the jury’s decision

As soon as the jury was seated, Judge David Kurtz informed them that Miller had died, but despite this the court would proceed with reading the verdict. The jury foreman then passed Kurtz the slip of paper with the verdict: guilty as charged of first-degree murder.

While the details of Miller’s death were not announced in open court, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement early Monday afternoon noting that deputies had responded just before 10 a.m. to a report of an apparent suicide at a home in unincorporated Edmonds. The deceased “is believed to be 78-year-old Terrence Miller who was on trial for the 1972 murder of 20-year-old Jody Loomis,” the statement said."

 

[Mind your biscuits]

Edmonds man dies in apparent suicide hours before jury finds him guilty in 1972 killing of Bothell woman

"Edmonds resident Terrence Miller died of an apparent suicide early Monday morning in his Edmonds home, just hours before the jury pronounced him guilty in the 1972 cold-case murder of then 20-year-old Jody Loomis of Bothell.

The two-week Snohomish County Superior Court trial concluded at midday on Friday, and the seven-woman, five-man jury spent the remainder of the day in deliberation. Jurors reconvened Monday morning, and shortly afterward informed the court that they had reached a verdict. The judge and legal teams from both sides were informed, and directed to be in court at 1 p.m. to hear the jury’s decision

As soon as the jury was seated, Judge David Kurtz informed them that Miller had died, but despite this the court would proceed with reading the verdict. The jury foreman then passed Kurtz the slip of paper with the verdict: guilty as charged of first-degree murder.

While the details of Miller’s death were not announced in open court, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement early Monday afternoon noting that deputies had responded just before 10 a.m. to a report of an apparent suicide at a home in unincorporated Edmonds. The deceased “is believed to be 78-year-old Terrence Miller who was on trial for the 1972 murder of 20-year-old Jody Loomis,” the statement said."

Wow, he offed himself! And they found him guilty. Moo.

 

[Niner]

Well - at least he saved the State some $$...

RIP Jody!

 

[dotr]

rbbm.
Man Accused of Committing 48-Year-Old Cold Case Murder Dies by Suicide Hours Before Guilty Verdict
"I’m glad that we got to hear the verdict," said lead investigator Jim Scharf of the Snohomish County sheriff's office, per the Herald. "I think that was good for the (Loomis) family."

A follow-up hearing has been scheduled for December 17 to determine whether Miller's family should pay fines.

Prosecutor Craig Matheson said, "I think we should put this to bed properly," while Miller's public defender Laura Martin said there would be "no public benefit in the court actually proceeding to take the verdict in this case, because you cannot sentence Mr. Miller."

 

[DSCrime]

Miller had posted his $1 million bond last year and was being supervised by a home monitory company, the Everrett Herald reported. He had previously been ordered by a judge to surrender any firearms; it's unclear how he obtained a gun.

Man Accused of Committing 48-Year-Old Cold Case Murder Dies by Suicide Hours Before Guilty Verdict

Miller was not behind bars because he had posted $1 million bond last year. The judge ordered him to surrender any weapons or firearms from his home. He had been effectively under house arrest, supervised by a private electronic home monitoring company.

...

Last year, as attorneys debated how high Miller’s bail ought to be, prosecutors argued the defendant essentially faced a life sentence if found guilty — giving him a reason to flee, or perhaps to harm himself.

Suspect in 1972 murder kills himself; jury finds him guilty | HeraldNet.com

After reading this, I have a few thoughts. First, I didn't realize that there are private companies that handle electronic home monitoring. I just assumed this was handled by local law enforcement. I wonder what kind of investigation/review would occur in circumstances like this.

He was not supposed to have firearms, if he had help in getting a gun, could the person(s) responsible be charged w/ anything?

 

[MajorHoople]

From the Daily Mail article:

"She (Jody Loomis) was last seen alive by a girl working at a fruit stand wearing a crop top, jeans and a pair of 'waffle-stomper' boots, which she had borrowed from her 12-year-old sister.

Loomis paused at an intersection of Bothell Evertt Highway and Penny Creek Road, then pedal east, vanishing from view about halfway through her six-mile ride.

At around 5.30pm, a couple riding in their car through the woods discovered a half-naked Loomis bleeding from a .22-caliber gunshot wound to the head.

They rushed the young woman to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival."
From the Daily Mail article:

"She was last seen alive by a girl working at a fruit stand wearing a crop top, jeans and a pair of 'waffle-stomper' boots, which she had borrowed from her 12-year-old sister.

Loomis paused at an intersection of Bothell Evertt Highway and Penny Creek Road, then pedal east, vanishing from view about halfway through her six-mile ride.

At around 5.30pm, a couple riding in their car through the woods discovered a half-naked Loomis bleeding from a .22-caliber gunshot wound to the head.

They rushed the young woman to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival."

Man, 78, on trial for 1972 murder kills himself before guilty verdict | Daily Mail Online

 

[SolVic]

Anyone know Miller’s date of birth and/or middle name?

 

[Niner]

Anyone know Miller’s date of birth and/or middle name?

Well - no exact birth date - but from articles written - he was 30 when the crime was committed on 8/23/72, arrested on 4/12/19 at age 77 & sentenced on 11/9/20 at 78. And I don't have a middle name, sorry....

 

[faithx]

Anyone know Miller’s date of birth and/or middle name?

He was born on December 26, 1941. I don't know his middle name though.

 

[SolVic]

He was born on December 26, 1941. I don't know his middle name though.

Nice! Thank you!