Mississippi man arrested in 45-year-old El Paso murder case

EL PASO, Texas --A Mississippi man formerly serving in the Army in West Texas has been charged in the stabbing death of an El Paso woman 45 years ago.

El Paso police say 70-year-old Willie James Johnson was arrested Sept. 28 in Madison County, Mississippi, on a murder charge and faces extradition.

Police say 21-year-old Doris Rivers was found slain at her home on Nov. 12, 1970.

Police say Johnson, 25 at the time, was among several Fort Bliss soldiers who knew the victim and were potential suspects. They also say he may have wanted to date the victim, but she declined.

"However, even though the initial investigators did a lot of work, used various investigative techniques on this case they were not able to identify the suspect or charge a suspect," Detective Michael Aman told CBS affiliate KDBC-TV.

Her granddaughter contacted detectives in 2013, wanting to know more about her grandmother's death. Investigators still had fingernail clippings from Rivers.

"What makes the case extraordinary is, of course, the age and the fact that that little piece of physical evidence that was collected back then was still available to us and was still in a physical condition that helped us to identify Miss River's killer," Aman told the station.

Johnson recently provided a DNA sample, which police say matched the victim's fingernail clippings.

It wasn't immediately clear if he has an attorney.

f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.