DNA Solves Three Kentucky Murders From 80's
My2Cents
Associated Press Writer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A kidnapper and rapist already serving life in
prison now stands accused of being a serial killer, thanks to some DNA
sleuthing. Prosecutors said Wednesday they probably would seek the
death penalty.
James Ray Cable, 55, was indicted on murder charges Tuesday in
Louisville and Owensboro in the deaths of three women whose bodies
were found in the 1980s.
Cable, who has a long criminal history, is an inmate at the Kentucky
State Penitentiary. He was sentenced to life in 1991 for kidnapping,
sodomy and being a persistent felony offender.
"The fact that he's serving in prison really is irrelevant to us,"
Brian Butler, an assistant commonwealth's attorney in Jefferson
County, said Wednesday. "These victims deserve their day in court."
Louisville Metro police Capt. Gene Sherrard on Wednesday characterized
the cases as serial killings. Authorities will use DNA evidence to
determine if Cable might be linked to other unsolved cases, he said.
Cable will probably stand trial first in Louisville, where two of the
slayings occurred, Butler said. He said prosecutors would likely push
for the death penalty if Cable is convicted of murder.
A Jefferson County grand jury indicted Cable on murder and rape
charges in the deaths of Oma Marie Bird, 26, and Helen V. Booth, 24.
Bird's body was found in a vacant lot on Dec. 10, 1986. Booth's body
was found in a park on May 11, 1989.
Cable also was indicted on a murder charge in Daviess County in the
death of Sandra Gail Kellems, 18. Her body was found in a vacant lot
in Owensboro on June 9, 1982.
Cable was on parole when the three slayings occurred, police said.
Sherrard said he didn't know of any relationship between Cable and the
victims. He said the women shared a slight physical resemblance.
Police declined to disclose the type of DNA evidence in the case.
Butler said the long lapse of time could complicate the work of
prosecutors in developing their case against Cable.
"It is a challenge because in a case this old there's always going to
be someone that you would like to call as a witness that you may not
find or may be deceased," he said.
The murders weren't connected until a year ago when the Kentucky State
Police crime lab discovered a link between DNA found on the bodies of
Kellems and Bird, Sherrard said. Booth's death later was linked to the
other two through DNA evidence, he said.
Owensboro Detective Sgt. Mark Saffran then noticed an old article
about Cable. Saffran found out that the slayings had occurred while
Cable was out of prison. A DNA sample was then obtained from Cable at
the prison in Eddyville, resulting in the indictments.
Cable, an Owensboro native, was first convicted in Daviess County of
raping a child under the age of 12 in 1971. Cable later was charged
with escape from a state prison in Oldham County in 1972 and
first-degree manslaughter in 1978.
The Courier-Journal of Louisville reported that its archives show the
manslaughter charge stemmed from Cable's killing of a fellow inmate.
Cable was freed on parole in March 1981 and was returned to prison as
a parole violator in September 1983, according to state corrections
records. He was paroled again in February 1986 and returned to prison
with his 1991 conviction, the records show.
Cable was convicted in the kidnapping of a teenage girl who was
chained to a tree at a Hart County campside and raped and sodomized.
Police said that when Cable was gone from the scene, the girl escaped
and killed his alleged accomplice, Phillip Clopton.
Meanwhile, Saffran said Wednesday he talked with Kellem's mother about
the developments in her daughter's case.
"It's been so long, it just hasn't sunk in to them," he said. "I think
they thought it would never be solved. It's still kind of a shock to
them."
