Items discarded behind a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Georgia in 1985 have led to charges against a suspect in the murder of John Warren, a traveling salesman killed in Ohio around the same time, authorities announced recently.
John Warren, from Dalton, Georgia, was working for an auto parts company and stayed at a Holiday Inn in Middletown, Ohio, on October 16, 1985, for scheduled sales meetings, according to local county prosecutor David Fornshell. Warren was found dead in his hotel room the following day, with his 1985 Oldsmobile and other belongings missing.
Within days, police in Warren's hometown recovered some of his property and other relevant items discarded behind a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Warren's car was later found in Redington Beach, Florida.
At the time, detectives had several leads but lacked sufficient evidence to charge a suspect. Modern forensic analysis of the recovered items has now identified 62-year-old Randy McAllister of Columbus, Ohio, as a potential suspect, along with an alleged accomplice who is deceased.
McAllister pleaded not guilty at an arraignment where his bail was set at $500,000. However, Judge Robert Peeler increased the bond to ten times the defense's suggestion after learning of McAllister's prior convictions for aggravated robbery and felonious assault in 1985 and 1992.
Authorities describe this case as an example of how modern forensic testing techniques applied to decades-old evidence can help close cold murder cases.
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