San Diego man charged with cold case murder in Arizona

Tucson police have arrested a San Diego man on a charge of first-degree murder in connection with a case they have been pursuing for 37 years.

Bruce McCullough was arrested in San Diego in the March 1976 death of Donna Smith, 20, Tucson police said in a statement this week.

The couple had been living together at the time of Smith’s death, officials said. After she died, McCullough, then 28, fled.

McCullough, now 66, avoided law enforcement officials for decades by using a fake identity, officials said. He had recently returned to using his real name.

McCullough is awaiting extradition to southern Arizona, Tucson police officials said Wednesday.

Smith’s mother, who lives in Tucson, has been notified of the arrest, police said.

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