How a pack of cigarettes helped solve a cold case murder mystery that haunted police for nearly 50 years



Police have made an arrest in connection with the murder of a young woman that occurred nearly 50 years ago — and investigators were tipped off about a suspect in the cold case because of a pack of cigarettes.

On Feb. 1, 1977, police discovered the body of 24-year-old Jeanette Ralston wedged tightly in the back seat of her Volkswagen Beetle in the carport area of an apartment complex in San Jose, California.

'Cases may grow old and be forgotten by the public. We don't forget, and we don't give up.'

Ralston was last seen leaving the Lion's Den bar in San Jose with a man just before midnight the night before.

"Jeanette was at a bar with two of her friends, and they were just dancing and hanging out and having a fun night out, and she ran into the man who killed her," Santa Clara Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker told Fox News this week.

At the time, the medical examiner concluded that her cause of death was strangulation from a long-sleeve dress shirt tied around her neck. The autopsy allegedly showed evidence of sexual assault.

The killer reportedly tried to set the Volkswagen ablaze, but it did not catch fire.

Law enforcement could not identify a suspect at the time, and the murder case went cold for decades.

But last August, investigators managed a major breakthrough in the cold case — thanks to a pack of cigarettes.

Willie Eugene Sims — now a 69-year-old from Jefferson, Ohio — was named as the suspect in Ralston's 1977 murder.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement, "Sims — an army private assigned to Fort Ord at the time — was convicted in 1978 for an assault to commit murder in Monterey County. Sims moved out of state before his DNA could be entered into CODIS, the state’s DNA database."

Investigators found Sims' fingerprints on one of Ralston’s cigarette packs.

'I am hopeful with Mr. Sims’ arrest, the family can hold on to hope that justice will be served and, although several years later, they can finally bring some closure to their loss.'

Earlier this year, investigators with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office's Bureau of Investigation and the San Jose Police Department traveled to Ohio to collect a DNA sample from Sims with the assistance of Ashtabula County authorities.

Weeks ago, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office's Crime Lab reportedly found DNA consistent with Sims on Ralston’s fingernails and the shirt used to strangle her.

"This is a case that's been haunting all the cold-case prosecutors for literally since 2011, when [our] Cold Case Unit was established," Baker explained. "About a year ago, we decided, ‘Hey, let's have the fingerprints in this case checked again.’ We caught a break last summer when we sent the fingerprints out, and we got a hit, which led us to the front door of Mr. Sims’ home in Ohio."

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has charged Sims with the murder of Ralston. If convicted, Sims faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen stated, "Every day, forensic science grows better, and every day criminals are closer to being caught. Cases may grow old and be forgotten by the public. We don't forget, and we don't give up."

"Our guiding principle at the Cold Case Unit here in Santa Clara County is we never forget. We never forget the victims. We never forget the family of those victims, and we never forget the loved ones of those victims," Baker declared. "And we're always going to seek justice, whether it takes 10 years, 20 years, or 50 years."

Baker added, "I talked to Jeanette's son. He was 6 years old when she died, and he was very appreciative of the work we did and the work that we had done in the case."

Ashtabula County Prosecutor April Grabman stated, "I am hopeful with Mr. Sims’ arrest, the family can hold on to hope that justice will be served and, although several years later, they can finally bring some closure to their loss."

Sims is awaiting extradition to California.

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Virginia police hope to solve cold homicide cases by distributing playing cards featuring photos of victims to prison inmates
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Virginia police hope to solve cold homicide cases by distributing playing cards featuring photos of victims to prison inmates



Law enforcement officials in Virginia have taken to playing games in the hopes that doing so will help them solve some cold homicide cases.

On Thursday, the commonwealth attorney general's office issued a press release announcing that Richmond-area precincts had begun distributing playing cards featuring photos and other information regarding cold case victims to inmates detained at the Richmond City Justice Center.

"The loss of a murdered loved one is devastating. Not receiving justice makes it even worse," said Attorney General Jason Miyares. "I’m hopeful that this creative tool will help law enforcement provide answers and justice to these families."

There is some reason for optimism, as other municipalities throughout the country have had some success with similar programs.

According to the Daily Wire, two cold cases in Florida were solved after 100,000 decks of cards featuring 104 different cold cases were distributed to state inmates back in 2007.

The Connecticut State Department of Corrections claims to have had an even better return on its investment. Its website boasts that playing cards have helped solve 20 cold homicide, missing persons, and unidentified remains cases.

Kansas has also recently developed playing cards featuring its own unsolved cases. Though no case resolutions have yet been linked to the cards, state Secretary of Corrections Jeff Zmuda remains hopeful.

"Not every tip received leads to resolution of a case, but someone usually knows something," Zmuda said in a press release. "Within Kansas correctional facilities and jails, we have segments of our population who want to do something good, perhaps atone for past mistakes, and they may have information about unsolved cases."

In Virginia, the Richmond City Justice Center is piloting the playing cards program, so the cards feature only Richmond-area cases. Richmond Chief of Police Gerald Smith hopes that the cards will help bring closure to grieving families and the community.

"Families of loved ones who were taken from our community deserve closure and we’ve seen this be an effective resource in other jurisdictions,” Smith said. “We are proud to participate in this endeavor as this is a creative method for generating interest and information on pending cases that could help generate new leads."

The press release states that, in addition to information about the victims, the cards include tip line information so that inmates who recognize a victim or can offer any leads can report what they know.

Any inmate who helps solve a case will receive "a reward," the statement promises, though it is unclear what that reward might be.

Below is a short news segment on the playing cards, courtesy of NBC12 Richmond:


How a utility bill helped solve sexual assault cold cases from 1980s that led to serial rapist being sentenced to 650 years in prison



An Indiana man convicted in a series of home invasions and sexual assaults in the 1980s was finally sentenced to a total of 650 years in prison for his crimes. A utility bill helped law enforcement apprehend the man who terrorized women in Shelby County some 30 years ago.

Steven Ray Hessler sentenced to 650 years in prison

Steven Ray Hessler, 59, was found guilty on March 3 of 19 felony charges for crimes against 10 victims between 1982 and 1985.

Following an eight-day trial in Shelby Circuit Court, Hessler was convicted on two counts of rape, six counts of unlawful deviate conduct, seven counts of burglary resulting in bodily injury, three counts of criminal deviate conduct, and one count of robbery, according to WXIN.

Shelby Circuit Court Judge Trent Metzler described Hessler's crimes as "monstrous" and "horrific." The judge gave Hessler the maximum of 50 years on each count, all of which were Class A felonies, WRTV reported.

How a utility bill broke open the cold case

Hessler was arrested at his home in Greensburg in August 2020 after investigators linked him to the cold case crimes through DNA evidence.

In 2019, the Shelby County Sheriff's Department decided to renew interest in the cold case after learning of advances in forensic technology. "A detective asked prosecutors if they would pay for samples to be sent to a company that uses the same sort of DNA testing that resulted in the capture of "the Golden State Killer," according to the Associated Press.

The prosecutors agreed and sent a DNA sample left in the victim's garage from the last reported assault on Aug. 17, 1985. Investigators also sent a licked utility bill that they had intercepted in the mail to Parabon NanoLabs. The DNA on the sample and the utility bill matched.

"Police said there was a one trillion-to-one chance the DNA found at the scene belonged to anyone but Hessler," the Indianapolis Star reported. "A subsequent test by Indiana State Police of DNA from Hessler's arrest confirmed the match."

Police found other evidence linking Hessler to the crimes, including pictures stolen from one of the victims was found in his possession. Law enforcement also determined that he searched for some of the victims on his computer.

The 'monstrous' crimes committed by the 'Coward Sadist'

In the middle of the night, Hessler – wearing a ski mask or tights to conceal his face – would break into the houses of women who were often home alone and force them to perform sexual acts while threatening harm if they did not do as he said, according to police. Hessler would bind, rape, and sexually torture his victims at gunpoint and knifepoint, investigators said. He also stole money and valuables from his victims.

"In a few cases, men who were in the home were made to watch or participate," according to the Indianapolis Star. "The man would sometimes lecture his victims about the lack of security in their homes, according to police. Before he left, some victims reported he would unplug phones and take their money."

Hessler allegedly took photos of the victims to blackmail them not to inform the authorities and said if they told the police, he would come back and kill them.

Several of the victims testified during the sentencing hearing about the trauma they experienced from the heinous attacks. Some expressed fears that Hessler would return to kill them or their children.

Shelby County Prosecutor Brad Landwerlen issued a statement:

Steven Ray Hessler is one of the most evil, dangerous, sadistic predators that I’ve had the pleasure of prosecuting in my 30+ year career. He derived great pleasure from his unnecessarily brutal methods of terrorizing and sexually torturing his victims. I promised the victims early-on that my goal would be that he go to prison the rest of his life, and all involved are very happy that we have achieved that goal.

Landwerlen dubbed Hessler the "Coward Sadist."

"He's a sadist because he loves getting pleasure from hurting other people," Landwerlen said. "He's a coward because he would only do it when he was armed."

In his closing arguments, defense attorney Bryan Cook said, "It's a hot mess of a case the state has."

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