When actor/director Robert Redford passed away on September 16 at the age of 89, his political activities were mentioned in many articles. Redford was a major supporter of liberal causes, and some of his films had strong political themes — including 1973's "The Way We Were" with Barbra Streisand and "All the President's Men" (1976) with Dustin Hoffman. In the latter, Redford played Bob Woodward and focused on the Washington Post journalist's famous reporting on Watergate; Hoffman played Woodward's colleague Carl Bernstein.
Redford's death is drawing attention not only to his politics, but also, to a legal case involving his daughter, Shauna Redford, and her late boyfriend Sid Wells.
Wells was fatally shot in Colorado in 1983, and the suspect disappeared.
The Guardian's Ramon Antonio Vargas, in an article published on September 22, recalls, "Redford was gearing up to film his classic 'The Natural' at the time of the 1 August, 1983 murder, yet he was at his daughter's side in the wake of Wells' death and was present for his funeral. Wells' roommate, Thayne Alan Smika, was ultimately arrested in connection with the slaying. But the district attorney of Boulder County, Colorado, later declined to file formal charges against Smika, citing insufficient evidence. And Smika then disappeared in 1986, as the Denver Post noted."
Vargas notes that in 2009 — 26 years after Wells' murder — then-Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett " began weighing whether to process certain cold murder cases through new DNA tests, including that of Wells."
"That effort led to authorities obtaining a warrant in 2010 to arrest Smika again for the murder of Wells," Vargas explains. "Redford received word that Smika was wanted again in Wells' killing and made sure to call the district attorney, Garnett told the Colorado news station KUSA…. The day after Redford died, the FBI announced, in a social media post, that it was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Smika's arrest."
Vargas adds, "Bail for Smika — a native of North Dakota whose nicknames include Jungle Mike — has been preset at $5 million if he is ever captured."
Read Ramon Antonio Vargas' full article for The Guardian at this link.