On February 10, 2021, David Dwayne Anderson was arrested for the rape and murder of 34-year-old Sylvia Quayle in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. An unknown male broke into her home by removing the screen to a bathroom window and disabling her telephone line. She had been sexually assaulted, strangled, stabbed, and finally shot in the head. Her father found her body the next morning.
A male DNA profile was developed in 2000 from a semen sample on a rug near her body. The FGG investigation was conducted by United Data Connect. The family tree in this case was very large, totalling over 3,300 people.
Anderson was identified as the lead suspect in January of 2021. The confirmation was made through police surveillance and the surreptitious sampling of items from the trash that had been discarded outside his home, including a can of vanilla Coke. On January 29, 2021, DNA testing indicated that Anderson’s profile was the same as that of the semen found near Quayle’s body.
Anderson is charged with two counts of first degree murder – murder by deliberation, and murder in the commission of a felony.
His first trial in March of 2022 ended in a hung jury. A jury convicted him on both counts of first-degree murder on July 30, 2022. On August 4, 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole after 20 years.
Sources:
Lambe, Jerry. “Colorado Man Convicted of Murder More Than 40 Years After He Raped, Stabbed, and Shot Woman in Her Home.” Law & Crime, July 1, 2022. https://lawandcrime.com/crime/colorado-man-convicted-of-murder-more-than-40-years-after-he-raped-stabbed-and-shot-woman-in-her-home/.
Nicholson, Kieran. “Murder Suspect Arrested in 1981 Cherry Hills Village Cold Case.” Denver Post, February 25, 2021. Accessed 26 February 2021. https://www.denverpost.com/2021/02/25/david-anderson-arrested-sylvia-quayle-murder-cold-case/.
Oravetz, Janet. “‘He’s Going to Pay the Consequences’: Killer Sentenced in 1981 Slaying of Cherry Hills Village Woman.” NBC 9 News, August 4, 2022. Accessed August 6, 2022. https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/cherry-hills-village-cold-case/73-a8f4389d-c7b2-436c-93d6-d4fbb267cf2a.
Osborne, Ryan. “Arrest Made in 1981 Killing of Cherry Hills Village Woman; Genealogy Helped Trace Suspect.” The Denver Channel, February 25, 2021. Accessed 26 February 2021. https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/crime/arrest-made-in-1981-killing-of-cherry-hills-village-woman-genealogy-helped-trace-suspect.
Padilla, Anica. “1981 Cold Case: David Dwayne Anderson Arrested for Murder of Sylvia Quayle in Cherry Hills Village.” CBS 4 Denver, 25 February 2021. Accessed February 26, 2021. https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/02/25/sylvia-quayle-david-anderson-arrested-cold-case-cherry-hills-village-colorado/.