A man in the US state of Oregon was found guilty of the 1980 unsolved murder of a college student after DNA found in chewing gum linked him to the crime.
As per a statement by Multnomah County District Attorney, 19-year-old Barbara Tucker on January 15, 1980, was “kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and beaten to death near a campus parking lot by Robert Plympton.”
She was a student at Mount Hood Community College. The next morning, pupils arriving for class at the institution discovered Barbara’s body.
According to CNN, the 60-year-old was convicted last week of one first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder.
He had pled not guilty, and his attorneys have stated that they want to fight his conviction.
Attorneys Stephen and Jacob Houze, in a statement to CNN, said, “We will appeal, and we are confident that his convictions will be overturned.”
The lab determined the DNA profile developed from the chewing gum matched the DNA profile developed from victim’s body
When it comes to how chewing gum linked Robert to the case, the district attorney stated, “In 2000, vaginal swabs taken during Ms Tucker’s autopsy were sent to the Oregon State Police (OSP) Crime Lab for analysis. The Crime Lab developed a DNA profile from the swabs.”
Later, when detectives conducting surveillance noticed Robert spitting chewing gum, they collected it and sent it to the OSP Crime Laboratory.
The statement said, “In 2021, a genealogist with Parabon Nanolabs identified Robert Plympton as a likely contributor to the unknown DNA profile developed in 2000. Detectives with the Gresham Police Department found Plympton living in Troutdale and began conducting surveillance. When they saw Plympton spit a piece of chewing gum onto the ground, detectives collected the gum and submitted it to the OSP Crime Lab.”
The statement continued, “The lab determined the DNA profile developed from the chewing gum matched the DNA profile developed from Ms. Tucker’s vaginal swabs. On June 8, 2021, Plympton was taken into custody and lodged at the Multnomah County Detention Center.”
Robert remains in detention while awaiting sentencing. The hearing is planned in June.