1:28
- ABC News
- December 16, 2019
Man arrested in intern's rape, murder from 1980
Helene Pruszynski, 21, was stabbed to death in 1980.
At the time of Pruszynski's slaying, Clanton -- who then was known as Curtis White -- had just moved to Douglas County from Arkansas, Spurlock said.
In 1975, Clanton pled guilty to a rape at knifepoint, according to court documents.
He served four years in prison and was paroled in 1979, according to court documents. He was not required to register as a sex offender when he was paroled and his DNA was not submitted to the law enforcement database CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), according to court documents.
Clanton, now 62, most recently lived in Florida and worked as a truck driver, officials said.
Charges against Clanton include felony murder predicated on an underlying crime of robbery and felony murder predicated on an underlying crime of sexual assault, District Attorney George Brauchler said. He made an initial appearance on Monday and his preliminary hearing has been set for Feb. 21.
Pruszynski's sister -- her only immediate family member still alive -- has been notified of the arrest, said the sheriff.
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