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35 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 10, 2005 Suspect charged with 1991 slaying Phoenix woman’s mother killed near Salem Staff and wire reports The waiting game is over for Barbara Loucks of Phoenix. For nearly 14 years, Loucks wondered if police would be able to track down the man suspected of murdering her mother during an August 1991 incident in rural Salem. "It just gets to where you wonder if the person is ever going to get caught," Loucks said. On Tuesday, Loucks sat in a Marion County courtroom and listened as murder charges were brought against a California man arrested last month in connection with her mother’s death. "It just brought up so many things," Loucks said of seeing the suspect, Bonafacio Merino-Apolinar, 34, in court. Advertisement Her mother, longtime Lake Creek resident Janet Zundel Unruh, was 67 when she was found dead in an elder-care home she shared with three other seniors. Marion County Deputy District Attorney Henry Leobe said investigators were able to develop the physical evidence that directed them to Merino-Apolinar. "This wasn’t a cold case," Leobe said. "From my understanding, this was something that was always being worked on." Unruh was found by her caretaker the morning after her death. Unruh’s television was missing from her room and police suspected robbery as the motive. Investigators said the suspect and Unruh had no previous connection. Unruh did not have many possessions and received medication for a mental disability. She rarely had visits from family or friends but frequently greeted neighbors while out on walks in the area. Loucks said her mother grew up on a family farm in Lake Creek and lived in Jackson County for more than 40 years before moving to Salem. Details of what led investigators to Merino-Apolinar were not released by the district attorney’s office, nor were the circumstances of his arrest. He was arrested March 17 in Salinas, Calif., for the murder and was brought back to the Marion County Jail by detectives from several police agencies. He is being held without bail. While Merino-Apolinar’s arrest was a relief, Loucks said she’s still waiting for closure. "I worry he’s going to somehow get out of it," Loucks said. "When he’s behind bars for good — that’s when it will seem real. Right now, it’s almost unreal to me that they caught him at all." Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s