1977 Cold Case Murder Solved By A Hair James Anagnos Frank Wright Hair found clutched in the victim’s hand was recently sent to a private laboratory in Texas for DNA testing, a sheriff’s sergeant said. The DNA test showed that the hair belonged to Frank Wright, who died in 2002 from complications related to alcohol abuse, said Sgt. Scott Brown of the Riverside County sheriff Central Homicide Unit. James Anagnos, who was known as “Jimmy the Greek,” was found dead Oct. 18, 1977 inside his bar at closing time, Brown said. Anagnos was stabbed 20 times with a steak knife and had been hit four times in the head with a blunt object, Brown said, adding that the cause of death was from injuries to his head. The hair was found clenched in Anagnos …show more content…
There were some forensic matches. The pink bath rug that Deedrick had been looking for for five years ago was among the discoveries. Police found it in the bottom of a box in Evonitz's linen closet. Furry Handcuffs Provide Clue "I [took] the fibers off and looked at them under a microscope — [they were] the same fibers that I found on Kati," Deedrick said. Another key clue was the pair of handcuffs the South Carolina girl had been wearing when she escaped. "Handcuffs by themselves didn't strike an interest to me, until you open the bag and you realize that they're furry handcuffs and there's fibers on them," Deedrick said. "And it looked black, but when you hold it up to the light, you can see that there's a real dark blue coloration to them." The same dark blue as the fibers found on all three Virginia girls. ‘The Right Stuff’ Finally, there were the fingerprints found on the trunk lid. They matched those of Kristin Lisk. "Fingerprints were really the icing on the cake in this," Deedrick said. Evonitz's DNA matched that of a head hair found in Kati Lisk's sock and two other hairs found on the two other slain …show more content…
The exhaustive forensic testing by micro-trace in Illinois took three years to complete. "I just wish we could have gotten these results six months or a year sooner, but the science only works as fast as the science does and it doesn't work on a CSI schedule," said Rosen. One of the many sad twists in this case is that authorities arrested Nasmeh in late 2004 but were forced to release him in 2007 when questions were raised about the original evidence testing of those rug fibers. Even with the meticulous re-testing, Nasmeh will never face a jury. In January, Harms' brother Wayne followed Nasmeh into a Peet's coffee shop in west San Jose, killed him and then killed himself. Police are hoping someone comes forward with information that reveals where Harms' body can be found. "The family is suffering and continues to suffer and will always suffer without an answer," said Chief Scott Seaman of the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department. The district attorney vowed his office would work on the case until it was solved, and now the evidence finally supports what the family always