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- James Wallace Petersen III was charged with murder in a 1993 homicide.
- DNA technology linked the Cedar City man to the death of Theresa Morlock in Salt Lake City.
- Petersen was arrested in Vernal with help from the U.S. Marshals Service.
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police have arrested a Cedar City man in connection with a 33-year-old cold case homicide.
James Wallace Petersen III, 63, was charged on March 6 in 3rd District Court with murder and aggravated sexual assault, first-degree felonies. The charges were sealed until his arrest on Wednesday.
Petersen is accused of killing Theresa Morlock, 35, on Feb. 24, 1993, at her Salt Lake apartment at 643 S. Redwood Road. Her body was discovered after a maintenance employee went to her apartment to repossess a microwave on Feb, 22, 1993, according to charging documents.
"(The employee) stated that he knocked on the door and no one answered. (He) stated that he tried the doorknob and found the door unlocked. (The worker) opened the door and immediately noticed the TV was on and the lights in the living room and kitchen were on," the charges state.
Assuming that Morlock was in the bathroom, the maintenance worker left. He returned two days later, on Feb. 24, 1993, and found the door unlocked again, and the lights and TV still on. As the worker walked into the apartment to collect the microwave, he passed Morlock's bedroom and saw a body on the floor, according to charges. The man left the apartment and contacted police.
"When officers entered the apartment, they discovered evidence of a struggle and located the body of (Morlock)," Salt Lake police said Thursday. "Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, detectives were unable to immediately identify a suspect."
Charging documents add, "A lamp in the bedroom and some bedding were on the floor indicating some type of struggle took place. There was also a pillowcase that had blood on it." An autopsy revealed "severe bite marks" on her body and determined "the cause of death as asphyxiation due to strangulation and smothering and the manner of death as homicide."
A neighbor told investigators that on Feb. 22, 1993 — which was the weekend Salt Lake City hosted the NBA All-Star Game — Morlock told him that "she needed a ride to find a trick for money." Later that night, Morlock was back in her apartment and introduced the neighbor "to a male she had picked up" who "was in town for the All-Star game and he was from Arizona."
Thanks to advancements in DNA technology, detectives were able to identify a possible suspect late last year. A DNA profile was created from a hair strand found on Morlock's body. The profile help detectives identify a third cousin of Petersen and a family tree was created that led them to Petersen, who lived in Arizona at one time, according to charging documents.
Sometime during the beginning of the year, police questioned Petersen in Cedar City. He admitted that he was in Salt Lake City for the All-Star game and "that it was common for him to spend a few hours with sex workers, having some beers, and talking," the charges state. "Petersen went on to say that he couldn't confirm or deny he hurt (Morlock) in Salt Lake around the time of the All-Star game."
After being questioned by detectives, however, Petersen "packed his bags and relocated to South Dakota," the charges aye. On Wednesday, Salt Lake police arrested Petersen in Vernal with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to her obituary, Morlock was survived by her daughter and fiancé.
