Drinking Straw Leads to Murder Conviction
A man was convicted in the 1975 rape and murder of a Morrisville State College student after prosecutors linked him to DNA evidence from a discarded drinking straw.
Donald Sigsbee, 68, of Madison faces up to life in prison when he is sentenced April 19.
Regina Marie Reynolds, 19, disappeared while hitchhiking. Her body was found 13 days later. She had been fatally stabbed.
Sigsbee was a principal suspect after police found his business cards near the body, but there wasn’t enough evidence to charge him. Police preserved semen taken from Reynolds’ body and continued to track Sigsbee.
In March 2003, Sigsbee was arrested after police matched the semen to the DNA in a saliva sample that was recovered from a straw Sigsbee dumped in the trash at a restaurant.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
