DNA Technology Leads to Murder Charge in 33-Year-Old Utah Homicide

SALT LAKE CITY (KSL) — Salt Lake police have arrested a Cedar City man in connection with a 33-year-old cold case homicide.

James Wallace Petersen III, 63, was charged on March 6 in Utah’s 3rd District Court with murder and aggravated sexual assault, both first-degree felonies. The charges were sealed until his arrest on Wednesday.

Petersen is accused of killing Theresa Morlock, 35, on February 24, 1993, at her Salt Lake apartment located at 643 S. Redwood Road. Her body was discovered after a maintenance employee went to her apartment to repossess a microwave on February 22, 1993, according to charging documents.

“(The employee) stated that he knocked on the door and no one answered. (He) stated that he tried the doorknob and found the door unlocked. (The worker) opened the door and immediately noticed the TV was on and the lights in the living room and kitchen were on,” the charges state.

Assuming Morlock was in the bathroom, the maintenance worker left. He returned two days later, on February 24, 1993, and found the door unlocked again, with the lights and TV still on. As he entered the apartment to collect the microwave, he passed Morlock’s bedroom and saw a body on the floor, according to the charges. The man then left the apartment and contacted police.

“When officers entered the apartment, they discovered evidence of a struggle and located the body of (Morlock),” Salt Lake police said Thursday. “Despite extensive investigative efforts at the time, detectives were unable to immediately identify a suspect.”

Charging documents add, “A lamp in the bedroom and some bedding were on the floor, indicating some type of struggle took place. There was also a pillowcase that had blood on it.” An autopsy revealed “severe bite marks” on her body and determined “the cause of death as asphyxiation due to strangulation and smothering and the manner of death as homicide.”

A neighbor told investigators that on February 22, 1993 — the weekend Salt Lake City hosted the NBA All-Star Game — Morlock told him she “needed a ride to find a trick for money.” Later that night, Morlock returned to her apartment and introduced the neighbor “to a male she had picked up” who “was in town for the All-Star game and he was from Arizona.”

Thanks to advancements in DNA technology, detectives identified a possible suspect late last year. A DNA profile was created from a hair strand found on Morlock’s body. This profile helped detectives identify a third cousin of Petersen, and a family tree was created that led them to Petersen, who had lived in Arizona at one time, according to charging documents.

Earlier this year, police questioned Petersen in Cedar City. He admitted being in Salt Lake City for the All-Star game and said “it was common for him to spend a few hours with sex workers, having some beers, and talking,” the charges state. Petersen added that he “couldn’t confirm or deny he hurt (Morlock) in Salt Lake around the time of the All-Star game.”

After being questioned by detectives, Petersen “packed his bags and relocated to South Dakota,” the charges say. On Wednesday, Salt Lake police arrested Petersen in Vernal with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service.