The DNA of a 68-year-old man from Arizona who committed suicide earlier this year is connected to the unsolved murder of a Navy sailor. Orison James "Jim" Chafin was killed on August 7, 1987, at the age of 54, and authorities now believe that this murder was committed by Gary Wayne Billups.
Details of Chafin's Murder
Chafin's body was found in Resthaven Cemetery in Glendale, with his throat slit and discovered only in his socks. In the early hours of August 8, 1987, witnesses passing by the cemetery saw a parked car that then "fled from the ground and sidewalk." Chafin's body was found near the location of the parked car.
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Chafin was drinking alcohol at the "Critter's Lounge" bar in the afternoon and evening of August 7, about 2 miles from where his body was discovered. Detectives collected beer bottles and cigarette butts from the bar, and tests produced three male DNA profiles that were entered into the national CODIS database.
Investigation and Suspect Identification
The case remained unsolved for decades until investigators from the Arizona Attorney General's Office and Glendale Police took a fresh look at Chafin's murder last year. New interviews with living witnesses led investigators to Billups, who lived in Glendale in 1987 but had never been questioned by police at that time.
One witness had seen Chafin and Billups together at the "Critter's Lounge" bar and told investigators that "Chafin also got into an argument with Gary over an issue involving a person named Mark who had attacked him." Billups voluntarily spoke with police on June 19, claiming he did not know Chafin and was unaware that he had lived in Glendale in 1987, yet his arrest records show he was in the city in 1986 and 1987.
He provided a DNA sample, was released the same day, and five days later attempted suicide before the DNA results confirming the match were obtained on August 6. Two other individuals who had been investigated in connection with this case have also passed away and can no longer be contacted.
The Attorney General's Office and Glendale Police have declared the case closed.
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