From CBS News · Emily Mae Czachor · · 1m 30s
Navy vet's 1987 murder solved 39 years later
DNA match identifies suspect in cold case, but he died by suicide before charges could be filed.
In brief
DNA match identifies suspect in cold case, but he died by suicide before charges could be filed. Preserved evidence and persistent detective work solved a nearly four-decade-old murder, though the suspect took his own life before prosecution. Originally reported by CBS News.
Navy vet found dead in cemetery
Orison James Chafin, 54, was discovered in a Glendale cemetery on August 8, 1987, with his throat cut. The Korean War veteran lived alone in a nearby trailer park.
Three DNA profiles collected but unsolved
Detectives extracted three male DNA profiles from beer bottles and cigarette butts at the scene, but none matched anyone in their database for nearly 40 years.
Case reopened in 2025
Investigators reopened Chafin's cold case and identified Gary Wayne Billups as a suspect. Billups had never been interviewed during the original 1987 investigation.
Suspect denies connection despite evidence
When interviewed in June, Billups denied knowing Chafin or living in Glendale in 1987, even though arrest records placed him there that year. He'd also spent the afternoon before the murder at a bar with Chafin.
DNA match confirms suspect, then suicide
Billups provided a DNA sample that matched evidence from the murder scene. He died by suicide several days later, preventing any criminal charges from being filed.
Cold case finally gets answers
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said the case was solved because detectives preserved evidence in 1987 and investigators refused to let it stay cold. No victim should be forgotten.
“For over 39 years, Jim Chafin's murder went unsolved.”
What to remember
Preserved evidence and persistent detective work solved a nearly four-decade-old murder, though the suspect took his own life before prosecution.
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