Murder Suspect Has Long Criminal History

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Story Published: May 21, 2009 at 5:50 PM PDT

By Sade Malloy

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Yakima -- We're learning more about the man arrested in a cold case. Turns out he had a long criminal history before this arrest for a 1993 murder.

An old murder cracked with new technology. "DNA wasn't at the level it's at now and we took it as far as we could at that point," says Lt. Steve Finch, Yakima Police Department.

Shawna Yandell was last seen at Sportsman State Park in June 1993. Later that same afternoon a group of boy scouts found her body in the Yakima river, near Terrace Heights. At the time, police had no suspect.

Action News asks,"Is it out of the ordinary to have a case so violent and have no suspect?"
"It is, stranger rapes are not that prevalent most rapes, homicides the suspects are somebody the victim knows," says Lt. Steve Finch, Yakima Police Department.

Yakima Police re-opened the case two years ago and sent the DNA to a lab. It was also run through a national database. Clayton Stafford came up as a match and he was found still living in Yakima.

Clayton Stafford is at the Yakima County Jail and being held on 1st degree murder charges but he tells police he was not involved. Stafford's rap sheet goes back nearly 40 years and includes one rape conviction two attempted rapes and burglaries. It's a criminal past that started when Stafford was in his 20's and continues up until 2007.

Lt. Steve Finch, Yakima Police Department says, "Looking at some of these burglaries he was involved in we have a suspicion there may have been other motives besides burglarizing."

Despite his history cops tell us Stafford's name never came up during their original investigation. They believe he is a dangerous man and now he's off the streets.

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