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January trial date set in 1981 murder case The man accused of raping and brutally slaying a 17-year-old girl in Medford more than 20 years ago will have his day in court this winter. Jackson County court records show that a Jan. 25 trial date was set for William Henry Allen Jr. at his last court appearance on Aug. 14. Police suspect Allen killed and raped Medford resident Evelyn Marie Smith in 1981 and left her bruised and naked body in a tunnel leading to the locker room in Spiegelberg Stadium at what is now South Medford High School. In May, Allen was indicted on three charges of murder and entered pleas of not guilty on all counts. The charges carry the possibility of life in prison. Police said Allen was 16 when Smith was killed. At that time, Allen was already a convicted arsonist and car thief. He was named as a suspect in Smith's death - police said Allen robbed and kidnapped another teenage girl in Medford two months after Smith was killed. He was convicted of that crime and served six years in an Oregon prison before moving to California, taking on a job and getting married. Detectives were unable to make a case against Allen in the Smith case. Attempts in 1992 to match DNA evidence were inconclusive. Eventually, police used a new, sophisticated DNA testing procedure that reportedly linked Allen to Smith's death. Allen, who was living in Oakley, Calif., was indicted on April 2 in Medford. He was arrested April 25 and held at Contra Costa County Jail until he waived his extradition rights and was transferred to the Jackson County Jail in May. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.