Colorado authorities have detained a man in connection to the 1979 murder of a local community college employee, one of the oldest cold cases in the state.
James Herman Dye, 64, was arrested on March 22 in Wichita, Kansas, by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office for the murder of 29-year-old Evelyn Kay Day. He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is awaiting extradition from Kansas.
Day was discovered in the back of her red 1977 Datsun station wagon on the 5700 block of 20th Street in Weld County on Nov. 27. She had been strangled with the belt of her overcoat.
Day was last seen on Nov. 26, 1979, leaving the Business Lab at Aims Community College at 10pm by student Julie Cogburn. Cogburn had last seen Day in the parking lot after the two left the building.
James Herman Dye, 64, was arrested on March 22 in Wichita, Kansas, by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office for the murder of 29-year-old Evelyn Kay Day. He has been charged with two counts of first degree murder
Day was discovered in the back of her red 1977 Datsun station wagon on the 5700 block of 20th Street in Weld County on Nov. 27. She had been strangled with the belt of her overcoat
Her husband reported her missing on November 27 with the Evans Police Department.
Authorities reopened the case into Day’s murder after the Colorado Bureau of Investigations determined that the DNA component of sperm found on the woman did not match her husband’s, Stanley Charles Day.
Detective Byron Kastilahn reopened the case on May 1, 2020. On August 26, 2020, Kastilahn received a report that positively matched sperm DNA to Dye, according to an affidavit for his arrest.
Dye’s DNA was also found on Day’s coat sleeve and on a fingernail scrapings taken from her right hand.
Authorities reopened the case into Day’s murder after the Colorado Bureau of Investigations determined that the DNA component of sperm found on the woman did not match her husband’s, Stanley Charles Day
Investigation revealed that Dye was enrolled as a student at the college during the summer and fall quarters of 1979, the winter quarter of 1980 and the summer quarter of 1982
Searching for criminal records for Dye, Kastilahn discovered that the suspect had an extensive criminal history as a multi-state offender with offenses in both Colorado and Kansas.
In Colorado, Dye had arrest that included: an October 1977 arrest for 2nd degree sexual assault, a Feb. 1981 arrest for sexual assault on a child, an attempted sexual assault arrest from May 1981, a March 1987 arrest for sexual assault and a third degree assault arrest in 1982.
Further investigation revealed that Dye was enrolled as a student at the college during the summer and fall quarters of 1979, the winter quarter of 1980 and the summer quarter of 1982, according to the affidavit.
It was also determined that he was taking a class in close proximity to where Day was working at the time of her killing.
Officials announcing the arrest of Dye during a Friday press conference
Kastilahn reviewed case files for the murder and discovered a Weld County Crime Stoppers tip from Sept. 1988 that mentioned Dye as a suspect at the time.
According to the tip, Dye worked on a farm east of Platteville and was ‘either the one who killed the girl or is very much involved in the murder.’ The tip further stated that ‘on the night of the murder the subject came home with blood all over his clothes.
The affidavit says that the person leaving the tip said that Dye got rid of the clothes and sat down to watch news on the TV. Dye then reportedly told his ex-wife that ‘there was a girl killed out at Aims and stated this before it was on the news.’ The person leaving the tip was ‘slightly uncooperative’ when follow up questions came about who the ex-wife was, the affidavit states.
Kastilahn interviewed Dye’s ex-wife Maria Hawkins and his two sisters. The defendants sister, Sherry Kubacki, said that Dye’s mother Viola Dye even told her that he murdered Day
Kastilahn interviewed Dye’s ex-wife Maria Hawkins and his two sisters. The defendants sister, Sherry Kubacki, said that Dye’s mother Viola Dye even told her that he murdered Day, according to the affidavit. The detective also found that Dye and Day had both lived in Evans.
When speaking with authorities in Kansas, Dye denied knowing and having a sexual relationship with Day, according to the affidavit.
He denied killing her and also told authorities that he did not remember what he did not know what he was doing at the time of the murder.
Charging documents for Dye’s arrest. He has been charged with two counts of first degree murder
The arrest affidavit calling for the arrest of the murder suspect