SALT LAKE CITY — Over three decades after the murder of a Salt Lake City woman, police said they have identified the person who killed her.
James Wallace Petersen III was arrested Wednesday on first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault charges relating to the death of Theresa Morlock.
Morlock was found dead by a maintenance man inside her Redwood Road apartment on February 24, 1993. When her body was discovered, there was blood around Morlock's mouth and some on a pillowcase.
An autopsy determined that Morlock had died from asphyxiation due to strangulation and smothering. The state medical examiner also found bite marks on Morlock's chest and thumb.
The decades-long investigation into Morlock's death found that she was a sex worker who had returned to her apartment on the night of her death with a man from Arizona whom she had picked up and was in town for the 1993 NBA All-Star Game.
Unknown DNA from the bite marks on Morlock's body was recovered, as was a hair located near one of the marks. Following advances in DNA testing technology, the hair was eventually submitted for genetic testing and turned up a DNA profile "consistent with the defendant’s DNA profile from the saliva near some of the bite marks," according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
It was shared that Petersen was also a one-time resident of Arizona.
After his arrest, Petersen told police that he traveled to Salt Lake City for the NBA All-Star Game with his father, brother-in-law and son. Petersen said that he had previously "used the services of a sex worker," and that it "was possible" that he might have in Salt Lake City.
"This arrest reflects the commitment of our detectives to never give up on victims and their families," Salt Lake City Police said in a statement. "Even after decades, we continue to pursue justice."
