Oregon man indicted for murder in 1974 cold case shooting deaths of 2 teens

A 65-year-old Oregon man and convicted assassin has been arrested in reference to a 1974 double-murder of two youngsters, a case that went chilly after ballistic proof couldn’t be linked to any suspects on the time, authorities stated Friday. The suspect, an Military veteran, beforehand served 12 years in jail within the 1976 taking pictures dying of his commanding officer. 

Steven Paul Criss was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of second-degree homicide within the Oct. 3, 1974, taking pictures deaths of 16-year-old Donald Bartron and 18-year-old Peter Zito Jr., in a recreation heart car parking zone within the Oak Hills neighborhood simply west of Portland, the Washington County Sheriff’s Workplace introduced in a press convention Friday. Criss was arrested Wednesday close to his Portland-area house. 

Bartron and Zito Jr. have been each shot a number of occasions within the head with a 0.22 caliber gun whereas engaged on a 1956 Oldsmobile, the sheriff’s workplace stated. The our bodies of each teenagers have been discovered subsequent to the car, which had its hood and trunk popped open. 

Throughout the investigation, a detective came upon Bartron labored with Criss on the Black Angus restaurant, and that Criss had a cause to be upset with each victims, the sheriff’s workplace stated. 

Criss was arrested for theft in December 1974, and have become an early suspect within the case after authorities discovered an illegally hid 0.22 caliber handgun in his possession, sheriff’s Det. Mark Povolny stated Friday. The gun was examined by a criminal offense lab, however didn’t come up as a match for the one used within the slayings, the sheriff’s workplace stated. 

Nevertheless, Criss’ gun turned the middle of an investigation into one other taking pictures dying much less which occurred about two years later. In 1976, Criss joined the U.S. Military and was assigned to Fort Lewis in Washington state, the sheriff’s workplace stated. In October of 1976, his commanding officer, Sgt. Jacob “Kim” Brown, was shot and killed. Investigators decided that Criss used that very same gun to shoot and kill Brown, Povolny stated Friday. 

On the time, investigators realized that Criss had borrowed Brown’s automotive and broken it, Povolny defined, however as an alternative of paying a couple of hundred {dollars} for the repairs, Criss shot Brown 5 occasions within the head.   

Criss pled responsible to homicide in Brown’s taking pictures and was sentenced to 35 years in jail. Nevertheless, he was launched in 1988, after serving simply 12 years, Povolny stated.

Lately, Washington County detectives determined to take one other have a look at the ballistic testing that was carried out on that very same gun 50 years in the past in unsolved murders of Zito and Bartron. After submitting the proof to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, investigators acquired discover that Criss’ gun was a presumptive match.

Following extra assessments on the Oregon State Police Forensic Lab, authorities decided that the gun Criss used to kill Brown was the identical weapon used within the murders of Bartron and Zito Jr.

“So far, that is the oldest identified match nationwide the ATF has ever confirmed for a prosecutable case,” Povolny stated Friday.

Zito Jr.’s sister, Barbara, was current at Friday’s information convention. Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett thanked her and the household of the victims for his or her endurance of their pursuit of justice.

“I need to acknowledge the lack of your family members a few years in the past and what you’ve got needed to endure ready for as we speak,” Garrett stated.