Florida Man Charged In Murder Of Wheaton Student 40 Years Ago

NORTON, MA — A Florida man has been charged in the murder of a Wheaton College student killed nearly 40 years ago after the Union County Sheriff's Office in Florida said DNA evidence linked him to the cold case. The Sheriff's Office said James Curtis Clanton was charged on a fugitive from justice warrant for homicide out of Douglas County in Colorado in the murder of 21-year-old Helene Pruszynski, who was attending the Norton school at the time.

Pruszynski was doing an internship in the Denver area when she was found murdered on Jan. 17, 1980. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office in Colorado said Pruszynski was kidnapped, sexually assault and killed.

There were no suspects at the time, but the Union County Sheriff’s Office said it has been working the cold case over the past few weeks, in conjunction with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, and found a possible DNA match to a man living in Lake Butler, Fla. The Sheriff's Office said further DNA testing made investigators conclude Clanton was a suspect.

Clanton was arrested on Dec. 11 in Union County, Fla. and transported to Colorado on Friday to face the charges.

"We are proud to see justice finally served and this person having to answer for the crime he committed almost 40 years ago," Union County Sheriff Brad Whitehead said. "We pray that the friends and family of the victim can now have peace knowing this murderer is captured. It was great to work with the professional men and women from Douglas County Sheriff's Office."

The Sheriff's Office said Clanton had been living in Florida as a truck driver, under a legally changed name, with no police interaction for more than a decade.