Suspect in 1977 San Jose murder identified with fingerprint on a pack of cigarettes
An Ohio man has been arrested in connection with a 1970s murder case after San Jose police investigators say his fingerprint was found on a pack of cigarettes owned by the victim.
According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, Jeanette Ralston was last seen leaving the Lion's Den bar in San Jose bar with a man just before midnight on January 31, 1977.
Her body was found the next day in a car in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex.
Ralston was 24-years-old and living in San Mateo at the time. At the time the medical examiner determined she was strangled by a long-sleeve shirt that was tied around her neck. The autopsy revealed evidence of sexual assault. The D.A.'s office said the suspect tried to light the car on fire but the Volkswagen didn't burn.
Cold case detectives got a break in the case in 2024 when they found the fingerprint on a pack of Eve cigarettes.
They were able to use the fingerprint to identify 69-year-old Willie Eugene Sims. The D.A.'s office said Sims was an Army Private at Ford Ord at the time. One year after the attack on Ralston he was convicted for an assault to commit murder in Monterey County.
Once Sims was identified, San Jose Police investigators traveled to Ohio where they collected a DNA sample from Sims. Investigators said the DNA was consistent with DNA on Ralston's fingernails and the shirt that was found around her neck.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen said: "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."
Sims is awaiting extradition to California. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Ohio. According to officials with the district attorney's office, Sims could face 25-years to life in prison if he is convicted.
