Maine man charged in cold case rape, murder of Native woman pleaded not guilty.

5years ago

Fairbanks news, Alaska news.

A Maine man charged with a 26-year-old cold affair, raping and murdering an aboriginal woman in Alaska pleaded not guilty Thursday in a courtroom in Fairbanks.

Despite this, a judge, at a hearing on Friday, maintained the bail of accused Steven Downs at $ 1 million despite the efforts of his lawyer to reduce it.

Downs, 44, was arrested outside his home in February after new DNA evidence linking him to the murder of Sophie Sergie in 1993 at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which he attended from 1992 to 1996.

The DNA was linked to Downs' aunt who had submitted a sample to a genealogy website.

Sergie was found sexually assaulted, stabbed and shot in the bath at the dormitory of the university where Downs lived.