An 84-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after authorities solved a 1974-year-old case of the murder of a Minneapolis woman.
On Thursday, a Dunn County judge handed Jon Miller a life term in prison for the stabbing death of 25-year-old Mary Schlais. Miller pleaded no contest to first-degree murder after advanced DNA technology was used to track down the defendant before he admitted to the homicide.
"While no verdict can undo the pain of losing Mary, we take comfort in knowing the man responsible for her murder has been held accountable. Mary Schlais was more than a victim. She was a brilliant, independent woman, a gifted artist, an equestrian, a world traveler, and a scholar. This case is a reminder that justice has no time limit, and to families still searching for the truth, let Mary's story be a testament that persistence, science, and dedication can bring a long-awaited closure," said Schlais' niece, Nina Mary Schlais, according to KSTP.COM.
On Feb. 15, 1974, authorities found the body of Schlais along an intersection in the Township of Spring Brook in Dunn County, Wisconsin. An autopsy report showed that the victim had been stabbed more than 12 times. At the time, an eyewitness saw Miller dumping the body by the road and provided investigators with a description of the suspect, which authorities used to generate a sketch for identification via several media outlets.
Soon, investigators exhausted every lead, and the case went cold.
Years later, Dunn County partnered with Ramapo College in New Jersey, which is recognized for its genetic genealogy program. For half a century, Miller had evaded authorities and quietly lived in an apartment opposite a police station in Austin, Minnesota, until his arrest on Nov. 7, 2024,
Authorities developed a DNA profile from a skull cap found at the crime scene, which led them to Miller. Then, confronted with the evidence, the Miller admitted killing Schlais, who had been hitchhiking to get to an art show in Chicago, reported CBS News.
The defendant told investigators he had made sexual advances to Sclais, and when she said no, Miller pulled a knife from his car and stabbed the victim repeatedly.
During the sentencing hearing, Miller refused to address the victim’s family. The judge ordered him to pay $2,200 in restitution.
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