Authorities in Kansas announced that a man has been convicted in connection with the cold case murder of a woman who was found dead in January 1980. RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir, the sheriff’s office obtained new evidence in the case in October 2022 and was able to obtain an arrest warrant for Steven L. Hanks, 70, of Burden, Kansas. KSN reported.
“At 42 years and 10 months (as of October 2022), we believe this is the oldest murder arrest in the state of Kansas,” Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said, noting there are currently no unsolved homicides in the county.
On January 24, 1980, the body of Mary Robin Walter, a nursing student and married mother of a daughter, was found in her trailer in Great Bend. She was shot several times.
Sheriff Bellendir said investigators at the time had developed Hanks as a person of interest in Walter’s murder, but the case was stalled until it was reopened last spring.
“After taking a fresh look at the case, it became clear that some of the information had initially been overlooked and some had been added at a later date,” Bellendir said, adding: “This was unknown among the original researchers.”
Authorities say Hanks lived near Walters when she was killed.
Citing court documents, KSN reported that Hanks has a criminal history, including allegations that he broke into a co-worker’s home and “kissed and fondled” her about a year after Walter’s murder.
Four months later he broke into the woman’s home again and was convicted of crimes including assault, assault and attempted rape.
Hanks was booked into the Barton County Jail on murder charges and held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
A settlement was reached and sentencing was scheduled on August 8, 2024, authorities said.
On September 12, 2024, Hanks was sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison. Under 1980 Kansas statutes, the agreed-upon sentence was between five and 25 years, but a judge imposed the sentence from 10 to 25 years.
Hanks remains in custody and will be transferred to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
