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20-year old Sophie Sergie (SUR-ghee) was found dead in a dormitory at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1993. Her case went cold for many years as suspect after suspect was ruled out. However, in 2018, DNA from the crime scene was matched through a commercial database to a former student who had moved back to Maine.
Alaska State Troopers went to Maine to arrest him in February, 2019. After a months-long trip to extradite him to Fairbanks, Stephen Downs has been waiting his day in court. His attorney, James Howaniec, (hoh-WAH-nik) is glad the evidentiary hearing has started this week.
“It’s been pushed off for a year, now, this was already going to be a tough case, and then we get hit with the pandemic. So, we had a conference with the judge, 2 to 3 months ago, and just decided that we’re going to get going on some of these motions pending for a year.”