Sex offender charged in 1968 slaying in Seattle

A 72-year-old sex offender suspected in the 1972 shooting death of a Seattle man was charged Friday in connection with an even older "cold case": the slaying of a Seattle clothing salesman in 1968.

Recent tests performed on blood, cigarette butts and other evidence found inside the Madrona apartment of victim James Keuler linked Samuel Evans of Everett to the slaying, according to King County prosecutors. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Carla Carlstrom, in court charging documents, said a blood drop found near the front door matches Evans' DNA.

By filing charges in the June 1968 slaying, Seattle police and prosecutors potentially have solved one of Seattle's oldest cold cases. It's unclear why Evans, then 30, was inside Keuler's apartment, but police believe Keuler also was robbed.

In March, Evans was charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jackson Schley on Jan. 9, 1972. Evans has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors say Evans confronted Jackson and Daisy Schley when they returned to their Central Area home and ordered the couple to their knees. Jackson Schley, a 58-year-old retired shoe repairman, was shot and killed.

Evans forced Daisy Schley into his car and drove her to a wooded area where he raped her, prosecutors said. He then drove her to another area, struck her on the head and left her for dead. A man living nearby found her after hearing her scream, charging papers said.

The slaying and rape had gone unsolved for years until last November, when investigators matched DNA from Evans with DNA found on Daisy Schley's clothing. She survived the attack but died in 2007.

While prosecutors cannot charge Evans for the rape because of statute-of-limitations restrictions, there is no statute of limitations for murder.

Carlstrom also said that if Evans is convicted in either Seattle slaying he automatically will spend life in prison because the charge would be a "third-strike" offense. Evans has "spent approximately 39 of the last 50 years in prison," Carlstrom wrote in charging papers.

In 1987, Evans pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted sexual assault with use of a deadly weapon on a victim over the age of 65 in Las Vegas. Evans had tied up a 66-year-old woman, sexually assaulted her and stole $80 in cash, credit cards and her 1977 Oldsmobile.

He eventually was arrested in Denver, where he was behind bars for another crime, according to a pre-sentence report filed by authorities in Las Vegas.

Evans also has convictions for robbery in 1959, forgery in 1972 and manslaughter in 1976, according to papers filed in King County Superior Court.

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com