PORTLAND, Ore. — Gresham's oldest unsolved homicide case came to a close with the life sentencing of Robert Plympton on Thursday. The 61-year-old was sentenced to a minimum 40 years in prison for the 1980 murder of a 19-year-old near Mt. Hood Community College.
In March, Multnomah County Circuit Judge Amy Baggio found Plympton guilty of first-degree murder of Barbara Tucker, who was sexually assaulted and beaten to death the night of Jan. 15, 1980.
Witnesses reported seeing her run onto Northwest Kane Drive from the woods, reportedly waving at someone or trying to get someone's attention, but nobody stopped. A man was seen emerging from the woods and lead Tucker back to campus. Her body was found the next morning between Kane Drive and a school parking lot.
Plmypton was only identified as a suspect three years ago, using new DNA technology. In 2000, a DNA profile of the suspect was created from samples taken during Tucker's autopsy. A genealogist with Parabon Nanolabs linked Plmypton to the DNA in the case a year later. He was then arrested after detectives with the Gresham Police Department collected a piece of chewing gum he had spit onto the ground to confirm the DNA.
Following court sentencing Thursday, Plympton was transferred into Oregon Department of Correction's custody, where he will remain for the duration of his sentence.
