DNA solves 33-year-old Wash. cold case
EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - Snohomish County sheriff's detectives say they have solved a homicide that has been a mystery for 33 years, since 24-year-old Marsha Sitton was found strangled in the back seat of her car on June 24, 1977. The sheriff's office said Wednesday that the woman's husband, Kerry Sitton, became the focus of its investigation. He gave a DNA sample, but died in 2004 before he could undergo a polygraph examination. Detectives recovered a 12-inch piece of rope at the crime scene. With advances in DNA testing, the Washington state crime lab recently was able to perform advanced tests on the rope. The sheriff's office says that testing showed DNA that matched that of Kerry Sitton. Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe has reviewed the case. He says that if Sitton were alive today, he would be charged with murder. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)