Michael Whyte has been sentenced for the murder and brutal assault of 20-year-old soldier Darlene Krashoc, in 1987.
A man was convicted for the rape and murder of a 20-year-old after 30 years.
Michael Whyte has been convicted of the brutal rape and murder of Darlene Krashoc in 1987, according to The Gazette.
Authorities say Krashoc was attacked during a night out. The young woman was found beaten, raped, mutilated and left nude behind the former Korean Club restaurant on South Academy Boulevard.
The case was considered cold, but a change occurred 32 years later, after the Colorado Springs police connected with a company that uses a technique called genetic genealogy.
Because the killer’s DNA was left on multiple items of evidence at the scene, authorities searched for genetic profiles similar to the killer by utilizing Consumer DNA websites, according to an opening court statement. Parabon NanoLabs was hired to sort through databases maintained by these companies in order to compare.
Their DNA search led to them Whyte, who was previously unknown to the police but was a 24-year-old soldier at Fort Carson during the timeframe of the murder, according to The Gazette.
Colorado Springs police detectives traveled to Whyte’s current resident city of Thornton and followed Whyte to a restaurant and collected a used cup, finding that his saliva on the rim matched the DNA profile developed from multiple items left at the scene.
The now 60-year-old was arrested in 2019 and DNA from inside his cheek was tested to confirm, according to the outlet.
Fourth Judicial District Michael McHenry scheduled a sentencing hearing, and Whyte received an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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