PORTLAND, Ore. — A man living in Troutdale has been found guilty in the 1980 cold case murder of 19-year-old college student after DNA from a piece of chewing gum linked him to the crime.
Multnomah County Circuit Judge Amy Baggio on Friday found Robert Plympton, 60, guilty of first degree murder in the death of Barbara Tucker, the Multnomah County District Attorney's (DA) Office said.
Tucker was sexually assaulted and beaten to death the night of Jan. 15, 1980, near a parking lot at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham. 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 witness saw a man emerge from the woods and lead Tucker back to campus. Her body was found the next morning between Kane Drive and a school parking lot.
"The community was gripped in fear as to who was the suspect, what happened, why, a lot of unanswered questions," said Detective Aaron Turnage of the Gresham Police Department when Plympton appeared in court after his arrest. "Gresham was a quiet town."
In 2000, a DNA profile of the suspect was created from samples taken during Tucker's autopsy. A genealogist with Parabon Nanolabs using DNA technology then identified Plympton as likely linked to the DNA in the case a year later.
Detectives with the Gresham Police Department began conducting surveillance and collected a piece of chewing gum he had spit onto the ground, the DA's Office said.
Police arrested Plympton after the Oregon State Police Crime Lab determined the DNA profile developed from the gum matched the DNA profile developed from swabs taken from Tucker’s body.
“Barbara’s murder was shocking, and the pain, grief, and loss were felt for generations. I hope the conviction of Mr. Plympton can bring some closure and peace to her family and friends, and to the Gresham community,” said Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg. “I also want to acknowledge the challenges investigators faced along the way. This case was impacted not just by the passage of time, but by budget constraints and staffing shortages. Our detectives and criminalists showed incredible determination and resourcefulness solving Barbara’s murder while still investigating new cases. Though this case is closing, our mission continues: seeking justice in other unsolved homicides.”
Plympton remains in custody in Multnomah County. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.