Convicted rapist sentenced 44 years after gunning down neighbor — closing Kansas’ oldest cold case

A convicted rapist was sentenced to at least 10 years behind bars Thursday for the 1980 murder of his neighbor — closing the book on Kansas’ oldest cold case.

Steven L. Hanks, 70, was brought to justice 44 years after gunning down Mary Robin Walter, 23, in her Great Bend trailer home.

“It bothers me that many of the people who were so affected by this tragic crime have since passed away prior to bringing the suspect to justice,” Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said in a statement Friday.

“I consider myself fortunate that I had the resources and the diligent personnel to close this case. The credit for solving this homicide goes to the dedicated officers that had the tenacity to bring it to a conviction.”

Walter was a wife, mother and nursing school student when she was shot multiple times on Jan. 24, 1980. Police found a .22-caliber handgun at the scene and confirmed it was the murder weapon.

Hanks, who was 25 at the time, was considered a suspect, but the case went cold just two years into the investigation when detectives failed to find anything that tied him to the killing.

The case remained untouched until 2022 when a detective persuaded Bellendir to reopen it and use new technology and techniques that weren’t available at the time.

Detectives re-interviewed Hanks, who by that time had spent a decade in prison for rape, battery, robbery and burglary.

He admitted to killing Walter, but authorities did not reveal his motive.

He formally pleaded guilty in August as part of a plea agreement that called for a sentence of not less than five years and not more than 25 years.

The district court judge, however, raised the minimum to 10 years during the sentencing hearing Thursday.

The sheriff said they believe it is the oldest cold case in Kansas to be solved and result in a conviction.

“Robin’s killer was finally brought to justice because of their dedication and commitment to this cold case,”  Associate Deputy Attorney General Jessica Domme said in the statement.