SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. -- The suspect in a sexual assault and murder case from 1984 pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Monday.
Roger Schmidt is charged with one count of murder with multiple enhancements, including enhancements related to sexual assault, according to Shasta County District Attorney's Office. These charges stem from an incident that occurred on December 14, 1984, when Terry Arndt and a female were parked on Mountain View Road in Burney. This is when the attacker approached their car and shot Arndt who was trying to protect the female victim. Arndt died from the gunshot and the female was sexually assaulted multiple times.
The case, however, remained unsolved for about 40 years until it was revisited by detectives last year. A breakthrough came through thanks to new DNA techniques, known as Forensic Genetic Genealogy. The suspect, Schmidt, was identified and matched to the DNA evidence collected from the female victim. Schmidt was 23 at the time of the murder.
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On Monday, Schmidt appeared in the Shasta County Superior Court for his arraignment. There, he pleaded not guilty to the charges. His next scheduled court date is August 28, at 8:30 a.m. to set the date for his preliminary hearing. For now, Schmidt is being held with no bail.