1. DNA:The Case of Mary Jones
By Kayla Dobrinski

2. Suspect: Robert Gene Pilcher
27 years old
An admirer of Marys
An exterminator in Iowa
Was a regular at Henry's drive in, and tended to bother the waitresses (asking for dates)
Discovered he has a history of crimes and drugs

3. Victim: Mary Jayne Jones
17 years old
She was raped, beaten, and shot (at close range) in both the face & Heart-- with a high power rifle
Moved to Ottumwa in the summer of 1973
Worked as a waitress at Henry’s drive in
About 5 feet 2 inches
Auburn colored hair
Last seen at a bank in Ottumwa in the afternoon on April 9, 1974
Friends described her as bubbly and outgoing

4. Time/Date/Location April 9, 1974 Rural Iowa Town: Ottumwa
The body was found in a farmhouse on the morning of April 10 ( Belonged to a man named Max Marlin-- A cousin of Robert Pilcher)
No usable evidence until 2010, the case was looked over again and they tested the bloody blanket for DNA
Trial: 2014

5. Evidence: Blood soaked blanket DNA (but not until 2010)
Witness-- but did not hold up in court because it had been approximately 30 years later and she had a history of drug abuse
Suspect could be connected to the place Mary’s body was found but could not prove he killed her

6. Significance of the DNA Evidence:
In 1998 (about 24 years after Jones died) the FBI began CODIS - Combined DNA Index System (a national database containing the DNA of known felons)
Mary Jones’s case among many other cold cases were reexamined
In 2010 the DNA on the blanket was examined and matched to Pilcher

7. Outcome:
Due to lack of evidence the first trial ended in a mistrial in January 2014, the Jury could not reach a verdict
The second trial was held in September of 2014 and Pilcher pled guilty to second degree murder
He was sentenced to ten years in prison
With good behavior Pilcher could be released from prison by 2019

8. Citations:
behind-bars-40-years-murder-article
murder/article_36d76c80-3dd7-11e4-990b-0fcb841090c7.html
courts/2014/09/16/robert-pilcher-cold-case-farmhouse-slaying-guilty- plea/ /
case?id=825423
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