An Oregon man who was convicted in the 1978 killing of a 16-year-old girl in Alaska was sentenced Friday to 50 years in prison.

Donald McQuade, 67, told Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson that he maintains his innocence and did not kill Shelley Connolly, the Anchorage Daily News reported. McQuade in December was convicted of murder in the death of Connolly, whose body was found near a highway pullout between Anchorage and Girdwood in 1978.

OREGON MAN ARRESTED IN 1978 COLD-CASE MURDER OF ALASKA TEEN, AUTHORITIES SAY

McQuade said he intends to appeal his conviction.

Years after Connolly’s death, investigators developed a DNA profile from swabs collected from her body, and in 2019 turned to genetic genealogy testing, which involves comparing a DNA profile to known profiles in genealogical databases to find people who share the same genetic information. DNA testing was used to show McQuade matched the DNA profile, with police in Oregon obtaining the DNA by collecting cigarette butts that McQuade had discarded in public.

There was no indication McQuade knew Connolly prior to her death, assistant attorney general Erin McCarthy wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

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Prosecutors said the sentence provides some closure for friends and family. Connolly’s mother died before seeing a resolution.

Peterson acknowledged that any sentence would likely be a life sentence for McQuade. McQuade’s attorney, Benjamin Dresner, said he is in remission from advanced liver cancer. Dresner requested that McQuade receive the minimum sentence, or 20 years in prison.

Welcome back to Autzen Stadium, Oregon football legends Kenjon Barner and Troy Dye! The former Oregon football players will be guest coaches for the spring football game on Saturday, April 27th.

Three-time Super-Bowl champion Barner and current Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Dye are two of the most beloved Ducks ever. 

The Oregon spring football game kicks off at 1p.m. PT on Saturday. In Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s third Duck spring game, he invited Eugene native and fan-favorite artist Mat Kearney to perform a postgame concert on the field of Autzen Stadium. Fans will be invited down onto the field to enjoy the concert. 

Saturday will be the first chance for Ducks fans to see many new transfer players in an Oregon uniform. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is a Heisman Trophy-contender and has a shot to make an immediate impact on the 2024 football team.  

It will also be the debut for wide receiver Evan Stewart, quarterback Dante Moore, cornerback Jabbar Muhammad and safety Kobe Savage, among others. 

The teams have been set and to no surprise, it is Gabriel leading the green team vs. Moore, who will QB the white team.

Barner played running back for the Ducks from 2009-2012. Under then-Oregon coach Chip Kelly, Barner earned consensus All-American honors in 2012. One of the most-memorable Barner moments came vs. USC in 2023, when the southern-California native set a school-record 321 rushing yards on a career-high 38 attempts and tied for a career-high five touchdowns.

A top contender for the 2012 Heisman Trophy, Barner played in the NFL from 2013-2022. Barner has won the Super Bowl three times (Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.)

After four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Dye was recently signed by the Chargers. Dye will be reunited with former Duck teammate quarterback Justin Herbert.

OREGON — Oregon is officially a Tree City USA.

During the April 23 Oregon City Council meeting, City Manager Darin DeHaan presented Mayor Ken Williams with a plaque honoring the city’s designation, which was received last month.

“This has been a project that we started in 2021,” DeHaan said. “I’m proud of our community, proud of our mayor’s leadership and glad to present him this plaque.”

Getting the designation is a big deal, Williams said.

“In small, rural communities like Oregon, you always think of the tree-lined streets and the trees in the summer, and we feel like a community,” he said. “I love that. I’m glad we’re doing that, and I know we have resources set aside to help fund our tree policy and some of the things going with that.”

Tree City USA was created by the Arbor Day Foundation in 1976, according to ArborDay.org. A community can receive annual Tree City recognition by meeting four overarching standards:

1. Maintain a tree board or department.

City Council members unanimously voted to create the Oregon Tree Board on June 28, 2022. Members of the board met three times prior to its official creation.

2. Having a community tree ordinance.

A tree preservation regulations ordinance was unanimously approved by council members on Nov. 8, 2022.

3. Spending at least $2 per resident on urban forestry.

Oregon has a population of 3,604 according to the 2020 census, which means the city must spend at least $7,208 on tree removals, pruning and plantings annually.

In 2023, the city got a $4,700 grant to conduct a tree inventory, something which hadn’t been done since 1998.

4. Celebrating Arbor Day.

Illinois observes Arbor Day on the last Friday in April.

City officials were planning to plant a tree at the city’s wastewater treatment plant on Friday afternoon, but are rescheduling because of weather, DeHaan said. A new date has not yet been chosen.

Oregon was unable to gain Tree City USA status in 2023 because of deadlines.