Nearly 30 years after Nikolaus Crumbley, 41, was brutally murdered in San Francisco's McLaren Park, police have arrested the person who they believe to be the killer.
On Monday, police arrested William Payne, 47, at Walden House -- a substance abuse treatment center -- on suspicion of killing Crumbley, who was visiting from Texas. Police linked Payne to DNA evidence taken from a swab of Crumbley's rectum during his autopsy.
On Nov. 16, 1983, police found Crumbley strangled in McLaren Park; he had his pants and his underwear pulled down to his knees. Crumbley had been visiting San Francisco and was last seen before his death with another man at a local hotel.
In 2004, a swab of Crumbley's rectum was tested by the San Francisco crime lab. The test found semen that was matched to Payne in the state Department of Justice's DNA database in 2009, according to the affidavit.
Crumbley's parents have since died, but a cousin was reportedly notified of the arrest, according to police."Cold hit DNA is integral to bringing criminals to justice," said District Attorney George Gascon said. "This case shows that at times justice can be delayed but it cannot be denied."
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