Suspect in 1972 cold murder reportedly died by suicide shortly before sentencing

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Terrence Miller was convicted of murder Monday afternoon of the death of Jody Loomis, according to the office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Snohomish County. The jury was not told during their deliberations that Miller was presumed dead.

Miller’s body was found at his home by a family member, who told law enforcement it was suicide, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. “The deceased is said to be Terrence Miller, 78, on trial for the murder of Jody Loomis, 20, in 1972, but the positive identification, as well as the cause and manner of death will be determined by Snohomish County. Forensic pathologist, ”the office said in a statement.

Miller, of Edmonds, Wash., Was arrested last year after being connected to the case using a DNA sample from a discarded cup. Police said he lived about five miles from where Loomis’ body was found.

He had been released during the trial on a million dollar bond.

Prosecutor Craig Matheson told CNN authorities regretted the way the case ended, but added, “We got a response whether Mr. Miller was here or not. That doesn’t diminish the verdict. “

Matheson said the Loomis family had been notified of the death and their reaction was “stoic”.

DNA evidence broke the case

The case dates back to August 1972, when 20-year-old Loomis left his home and rode his bicycle to a stable to ride a horse. His body was found stripped naked and shot in the head in the woods, authorities said.

The case was not resolved until the recent emergence of genetic genealogy, which is a combination of traditional DNA evidence with the type of genealogical analysis made famous by companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.

Previously, DNA evidence from the crime scene could only be matched to a specific suspect or put into limited national databases to find direct matches.

But with genetic genealogy, that same DNA evidence can be put into the free GEDMatch website, which then displays a list of extended family members who are linked to the author. This allows investigators to begin to focus on those who may have had close contact with the victim based on other public information.

The field has enabled law enforcement to solve cases that have long frustrated investigators, such as that of the Golden State Killer.

CNN’s Eric Levenson and Natasha Chen contributed to this story.

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