Suspect hears charges in slaying

'93 cold case

Yakima Herald-Republic
Suspect hears charges in slaying
MARK MOREY / Yakima Herald-Republic
Clayton G. Stafford, suspect in June 1993 homicide of Shawna Yandell, appears in Yakima County Superior Court. (not for use until arraigned in two weeks from 21 May)
Links
Email_black_18  E-mail           Print_black_18  Print            Talk_black_18  Comments
Advertisement

More 'Local'

  1. Forum will focus on developmental disabilities
  2. Friendly 'surgeons' will mend dolls, stuffed animals
  3. Toys for Tots collection begins
  4. Mattawa man injured in rollover
  5. Memorial held for slain Seattle officer
  6. Wapato council says no to only applicant for open seat
  7. State agencies sign water quality roadmap
More Stories:   Today's News | This Week

Sixteen years after the crime, Clayton Gene Stafford of Yakima was charged Friday with raping and murdering 21-year-old Shawna Yandell.

Police say they identified Stafford, now 56, based on DNA evidence.

They believe he killed Yandell in June 1993, days after she and her boyfriend arrived in Yakima from the Arkansas-Oklahoma area. A Boy Scout group found her body in the Yakima River about a mile north of the Terrace Heights Bridge.

Stafford, who made a preliminary appearance in Yakima County Superior Court on Thursday, is being held on $1 million bail.

He is a handyman on federal disability because of a heart attack. Police arrested him Wednesday at his West I Street home after learning his DNA matched DNA linked to the crime.

Yandell's sister, Shannon Yandell-Young, said Yandell had come to Yakima to make money picking apples before returning home. She was last seen leaving Sportsman State Park, where her boyfriend had passed out in a bathroom.

Stafford lived on Keys Road at the time, a few of blocks from the park. Police say it's not known how he crossed paths with Yandell or why she was killed.

 



Commentsicon2
Log in or Register to leave a comment.

Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g., you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason. Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the "report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.

Registered User?