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SALT LAKE CITY — Felony murder charges were filed and an arrest was made Monday in connection with a 1997 slaying.
Alan Lee Marx, 59, was arrested in the slaying of Ward Woolverton the same day charges of murder, a first-degree felony, were filed, according to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. Detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department traveled to Hawaii to arrest Marx on a warrant.
Witnesses found Woolverton's body on March 20, 1997, near 1005 South and 300 West and called police officers who determined that the man was dead, according to charges filed in 3rd District Court. The man had "obvious signs of trauma to his head."
An autopsy confirmed that Woolverton had died as a result of blunt force injuries to the head, and the death was classified as a homicide, the charges state.
Marx told investigators the he met Woolverton at a homeless shelter and that the pair were together the day Woolverton was killed.
Gill said the case went "cold" soon after Woolverton's body was found and wasn't reopened until June 2010, when DNA evidence led police to Marx.
The charging documents state that there was a bloody shirt found at the murder scene that did not belong to Woolverton. The blood on the shirt was recently processed for DNA and found to be a match to Marx.
- Ward Woolverton's body found March 20, 1997
- Victim died of blunt force injuries to the head
- Case reopened June 2010
- DNA matched the suspect's, investigators say
- Alan Lee Marx arrested Oct. 24, 2011
"The bloody shirt was also found to have another DNA profile that matched defendant's DNA profile," the charges state.
Gill said Salt Lake City police have received federal funding to help in their efforts on cold case homicides and that the developments in this case were a result of that investigation.
"I just want to reiterate what an exceptional job the police cold case homicide unit did, in conjunction with our office, in bringing this person to justice," Gill said.
He said Marx will "absolutely" be brought to Utah on the charges. Bail has been set at just over $1 million.
Email:emorgan@ksl.com
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