Four-decade-old murder closer to being resolved

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:06:51 GMT — An Ottumwa murder case that went unsolved for nearly four decades will come a little closer to being resolved next week.

Robert Eugene Pilcher, 66, will be in a Wapello County courtroom on Monday to find out when he will stand trial for the 1974 murder of Mary Jayne Jones. Pilcher was arrested in November of last year after agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation performed DNA testing on items seized from the rural Wapello County farm house were Jones was found murdered. Pilcher has been held in the Wapello County Jail since his arrest on $1 million bond. If convicted, Pilcher would face a mandatory life sentence.Previous stories...While time is a cold case's greatest enemy, technology solves mysteries DNA technology helps solve 38-year-old cold case Suspect arrested in 38-year-old murder case