DENVER — In August 1983, Sid Wells was 22 years old and about to enter his senior year at CU Boulder with dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist.
His longtime girlfriend, Shauna, was the daughter of actor Robert Redford, which was a major reason the story attracted so much attention when Wells was murdered.
Wells was found shot to death in his Boulder apartment on Aug. 3, 1983. A short time later, his roommate, 24-year-old Thayne Smika, was arrested in connection with Wells' murder, but the Boulder District Attorney declined to file charges and Smika was let go.
Police said a possible motive was that Smika owed Wells $300 for rent that day.
The FBI said Smika's abandoned car was found in California in 1986, but other than that, there's been no sign of him since he was released from custody.
In December 2012, a judge signed an arrest warrant for Smika after Boulder police developed more evidence in the case. To date, the trail has been cold, but Boulder police said they have not given up.
"Maybe somebody will see something, maybe they'll remember something and they'll call us up and give us some information," Boulder Police Detective Commander Thomas Trujillo said.
Trujillo said if Smika is still alive, he's confident he'll eventually be caught and prosecuted and the case will finally be solved.
The FBI is now offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Smika's arrest and conviction. They said it's possible he lived in Yelapa, Mexico for many years after he was released from custody. He may also be living in California, the FBI said.
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