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| Inmate Convicted in 1973 Washington Killing |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 08/12/2002 |
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A prison inmate linked by DNA evidence to the long-unsolved killing of a teen-ager in 1973 was sentenced recently to life in prison. Jurors convicted William Cosden Jr., 55, on July 29 of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 14-year-old Katherine M. Devine. Judge Daniel Berschauer said at the sentencing that Cosden is a danger to society and should never be released. But Cosden has maintained his innocence and will appeal, his lawyer said. Cosden, a suspect from the beginning, already is serving a 48-year term for a 1976 rape conviction, and he was sent to a mental hospital in Maryland for killing a woman in 1967. 'He is an obvious danger to society,' deputy prosecutor Philip Harju said. Devine, of the Seattle area, was last seen getting into a stranger's vehicle while hitchhiking on Nov. 25, 1973. Her body was found days later in a forest near Olympia. Confronted with the DNA evidence, Cosden told investigators he had sex with Devine but did not kill her. 'It's finished. There's a justice system, and it works,' said Bill Devine, the victim's father. 'It doesn't bring Kathy back, but it sure does help.' |
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