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Murder from 1981 solved, police say Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Bruce Howell, supervisor of secondary athletics at South Medford High School, was a teacher at then-Medford Mid High School 20 years ago when the body of Evelyn Marie Smith was found in this tunnel leading to the locker room at the west grandstand of what is now Spiegelberg Stadium. The murder "shook everyone up," he remembered. A suspect in the case was arrested Wednesday. Man arrested in California for crime that stunned Medford By DAMIAN MANN Armed with new DNA evidence, police say they have solved the 20-year-old murder and rape of a 17-year-old Medford girl with the arrest Wednesday of William Henry Allen Jr. in California. Allen, 36, has been charged with the murder and rape of Evelyn Marie Smith, whose nude body was found in a tunnel leading to the locker room at the west grandstand of what is now Spiegelberg Stadium at South Medford High School. The victim had been beaten and strangled. The suspect, 16 at the time of the crime, was formerly a resident of Medford. The April 26, 1981, murder took place at what was then Medford Mid High School. A school employee and his son discovered the girl's body. An autopsy later determined the girl had been strangled and was covered with cuts and abrasions. "This was a crime that shocked Medford," said Lt. Tim George of the Medford Police Department. Bruce Howell, supervisor of secondary athletics at South Medford High School, was a teacher at Mid High School 20 years ago. "It really shook everybody up," he remembered. Allen was arrested at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday and placed in a jail in Martinez, Calif., awaiting extradition to Oregon. This followed an April 5 indictment of Allen by a Jackson County grand jury. George said Allen was taken into custody as he was driving to work at a steel foundry. Asked if Allen, who has been a suspect since the beginning of the investigation, was surprised, George said, "I'll bet Mr. Allen is still surprised." Deputy District Attorney Beth Heckert said Allen is charged with two counts of murder. One of the counts includes murder in the course of committing a rape. Heckert will seek 25 years to life imprisonment, the maximum possible sentence under the law. The arrest is "great news for the Evelyn Smith family," Heckert said. The parents of Smith, Medford residents Edith Sohnrey and stepfather Richard Sohnrey, declined to comment. Smith was the youngest girl in a family of 15 brothers and sisters. She had been going to Medford School District's Alternative Program but had dropped out of the school prior to her death. Investigators determined she had died from asphyxia by strangulation, possibly with some type of rigid object. After her body was found, investigators began a lengthy search for her clothing, which was not found. Heckert said it could take six to nine months before Allen's trial, which she anticipates could take three to five days. Although investigators have other evidence that allegedly links Allen to the murder, Heckert said the DNA firmly shows his involvement in the crime. She would not disclose any of the evidence related to the crime or a possible motive. Medford detectives obtained "biological evidence" in December 1992 from Allen when he was living in Pittsburg, Calif. However, results at that time could not conclusively connect Allen to the crime. Recent advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to use original evidence from 1981 to allegedly link Allen to the crime. Brian Ostrom, DNA supervisor for the Oregon State Police, said technological advances allow extraction of DNA from minute samples that remain in the evidence locker for decades after the crime. Ostrom, whose office reviewed the DNA evidence in the Allen case, said he could not comment on specifics of this investigation. He said new technology permits the analysis of a pinhead-size sample of blood, semen, hair follicle or even dry skin. The technology is so sophisticated that even old and degraded samples can be analyzed. "The evidence can be kept at room temperature as long as it's dry," said Ostrom. "It can stay around 10, 20 or 30 years - even longer." Even evidence that has been kept on the shelf and not in the freezer can provide sufficient DNA, he said. His lab can perform a DNA analysis off such things as a cigarette, a single hair root, a blood stain, spit, a Band-Aid, hat, shirt, socks or a beer bottle. Even a bite or lick mark can provide enough evidence, he said. As a result, many old cases are being resolved, Ostrom said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.