The decision to sentence an 84-year-old man from southern Minnesota to life in prison for the murder of a woman from Minneapolis in 1974 was handed down by a judge on Thursday.
In response to the allegation of first-degree murder in connection with the death of Mary K. Schlais, Jon Miller, who resides in Owatonna, Minnesota, entered a plea of no contest. Besides being sentenced to life in prison, Miller was also had to make reparation payments of $2,200.
In accordance with the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, the body of Mary Schlais, who was 25 years old at the time, was discovered on February 15, 1974, in an intersection located in the Township of Spring Brook, Wisconsin. It was suspected by the police that she had hitchhiked to Chicago in order to attend an art event.
After conducting interviews, following up on leads, and reviewing evidence, the investigation was deemed to have reached a dead end. As a result of the use of genetic evidence derived from a stocking cap discovered close to the body of Mary Schlais, investigators were able to locate and apprehend Miller fifty years after the murder.
The victim Mary Schlais was more than just a victim. Nina Mary Schlais, Mary Schlais’ niece, described her as “a brilliant and independent woman, a gifted artist, an equestrian, a world traveler, and a scholar.” Mary Schlais was also a wonderful 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.”
New Jersey’s Ramapo College, which specializes in genetic genealogy, has teamed forces with Dunn County, which is located in New Jersey. According to the records released by the court, the authorities were able to locate Miller after conducting interviews with and collecting DNA from a number of prospective relatives.
According to the investigators, the fact that Miller was adopted at the beginning made it more difficult to determine his whereabouts.
During the meeting between Miller and the authorities, it is reported that Miller originally denied any knowledge of the murder of Mary Schlais. Miller acknowledged to picking her up when she was hitchhiking and requesting for “sexual contact,” according to the criminal complaint. This admission was made after Miller was informed of the DNA evidence. According to the allegations made by him to the authorities, he allegedly grabbed a knife that he had concealed in the vehicle and fatally stabbed her in the back when she said no. A thorough examination of Mary Schlais’s body indicated that she had been stabbed more than a dozen times.
Miller stated that he pulled off the highway and attempted to conceal Mary Schlais’s body in a snowbank; however, he became frightened when a car drove by and abandoned the location. In addition, he revealed to the investigators that the stocking cap that was discovered next to Mary Schlais’s body was belonging to him.
Randall Woodfield, a former draft pick of the Green Bay Packers who would later become known as the I-5 killer, was identified as a suspect two years after the body of Mary Schlais was excavated in 2009. DNA testing allowed detectives to identify Woodfield as the probable perpetrator of the crime.
During the 1980s, authorities connected Woodfield to a number of homicides that occurred along Interstate 5, which stretched from Washington to California. Although he is currently serving time in jail for one murder, he has never admitted to being responsible for any of the other murders.
During the time when Mary Schlais was being murdered, Woodfield was traveling from Portland to Green Bay, according to the authorities, and he matched the description of a suspect that was provided by a witness. He was never further connected to the murder of Mary Schlais, nor was he ever prosecuted with the crime.
Minnesota man sentenced to life in prison for 1974 murder of hitchhiking woman in Wisconsin
