Hey there, folks. Sit is Saturday, November the eighth, and the hunt is on for a killer, for the killer who murdered a University of Colorado college student forty plus years ago. But there's a renewed effort to find this killer because of the death of Hollywood legend Robert Redford. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. I think a lot of people don't even know this connection.
It's fascinating to hear. But a guy has been on the loose for forty plus years, and after Robert Redford's death, there is a whole new effort to find this guy.
That's right.
Robert Redford died September sixteenth. The next day. The following day, the FBI announced in a social media post that it was offering a ten thousand dollars reward for information leading to the arrest of sid Wells's murder suspect, the name Thane Allan Simca. And it was a deliberate decision to use the death of Robert Redford to renew the effort to find this guy who has been on the run since nineteen eighty six.
So what's the connection and who cares and why would Robert Redford care where there is a connection here, and it seems a little bit ro like you said it that way, and I know you didn't mean it negatively, and the authorities don't either. They used his death well. It was a brilliant move because everybody's talking about and it was talking about Robert Redford in this cold case
of forty plus years. Now there was attention on Robert Redford and his life and his background and his family and his daughter, and people started to make the connection and hear about this story that he has for forty years been wanting to find the guy who killed his daughter's boyfriend when they were in college.
That's right, So his daughter was dating Sidwells. He was twenty two years old. This is such a just a tragic and sad and all murders are, but this one just seems so pointless. He was literally weeks away from beginning his senior year at the University of Colorado Boulder and his daughter, Shawna this was her boyfriend for several years. They were both about to go into their senior year.
But the murder happened on August first, nineteen eighty three, in his own apartment when his roommate found him shot execution style in the back of the head in his living room with a twenty two gage shotgun wound. That is what police had to go by. This was a kid who was well liked again, had a wonderful girlfriend, and was close with Robert Redford and his family. And when news of this murder happened, Robert Redford was actually filming The Graduate at the time, and he was in Buffalo,
New York. And they actually stopped production of the movie so that Robert could fly to Boulder to be with his daughter and attend the funeral. And as you might imagine, that made national headlines.
Yeah, and I never I've never heard the story before his death. Never, And we were doing a story about this is the point and why authorities did take advantage of this moment. They want to solve this crime, and why hasn't been solved. Well, here's the thing, folks. They believe they know who killed sid Wells, the boyfriend of Robert Redford's daughter, back in nineteen eighty three. In fact, he was arrested and it went before a grand jury
just a couple of months after the killing. But that person was they refused at the time to file charges the district attorney and then that suspect was the name again Thane.
His name is Thane Allen Smika Faine. Smika was a roommate of sid Wells. Now they arrested him charges not filed robes, and that was in nineteen eighty three. For the most part, he been seen.
Since that is true, he basically the grand jury refused to indict Smca in nineteen eighty five, and according to the FBI, he vanished a year later. So as of nineteen eighty six, he has not been seen. But this hasn't been the first renewal of an effort to try and find Smicha. And let's go over the evidence of this young man. So a note was found at the scene at the apartment, and Smicha had written out a note saying, apparently writing it to sid that he had
gone to visit his parents. So investigators immediately drove to Smika's home that evening or his mother's house that evening to tell him about the death. And they started to ask him, why are you back home, and he said, oh, I had to do some laundry and I needed to get a perm That might sound silly. But part of the reason why they got suspicious is that turns out where they lived in Boulder had a laundry facility, and they found out he had gotten a perm the week before.
So what he told them, the reasoning behind why he went to go visit his parents was not true. And so that's when they started looking into Smike. And we're concerned about his activities, his drug activities specifically.
Yeah, so again, people are innocent to approving guilty. But this is the guy, and it's always been the guy. He's the only person who for the most part, fell under suspicion of authority. So they arrest them, they don't charge him. A new DA comes I believe around twenty tennish around that area, who decides, you know what, I got enough evidence and I'm going after this guy. Reissued an arrest warrant that was thirteen or so, thirteen years ago. He ain't heard a peep from Thane Smika, correct.
And so yes, they actually used modern DNA testing to try and specifically link Smika to the crime. And they also have a friend who has come out and said that Smca confessed to the murder after a night of drinking they have another woman who told police that Smicha's sister told her that she had to wash his bloody clothes that evening, the evening of the murders. So they have evidence now that they've been able to gather and they want to then actually have him now face a
jury of his peers. So in twenty ten, as you mentioned, they obtained an unarrest warrant to try and find him. And that's when Robert Redford actually and this is interesting.
This was an article that was published by the Reporter after Redford's death, but he talked about this now retired DA talked about how impactful it was to have Robert Redford call the police office and say thank you, thank you for continuing to pay attention to this case, thank you for trying to solve this crime that has plagued
me my daughter. And there are folks who say Robert Redford was never the same after this murder, that he got quieter, that he was chilled, and he was concerned even perhaps for the safety of his own daughter at that point, and he really did take a step back from his very public life after this murder.
I get these were and again this is something I didn't know what his daughter sewn. At the time. These folks had been together four years. He was a part of their family. He did vacations with them, He went to his their house and sun dance and right rode horses. I've right as well in an article with somebody who interviewed Sidwell's mom said, Robert Redverord actually flew flew this kid to New York to meet Tom Brokaw. I mean this was a family member. Who know, they might have
been talking about marriage and going down that road. This was somebody who was essentially a family member who was murdered. This wasn't just some extension or some friend of his daughter. I cannot imagine how it didn't have an impact. And we think, I mean that movie. Was it an he got his Oscar direct? Was it the Natural? I don't know where the Natural falls in history, But this is considered if you start talking about Robert Redford, that's going to be one of the first two or three movies
that comes out of somebody's mouth. And to think, in the middle of putting together what is I guess considered Hollywood history and royalty when it comes to filmmaking. He stopped in the middle of filming The Natural to go be with his daughter whose boyfriend had just been murdered. I had no idea.
I didn't either.
That's remarkable to hear that.
It is, and to hear about this murder and this mystery and this unsolved cold case that I didn't even know existed. So it was incredibly smart of the FBI taking advantage. And yes, I'm glad you pointed that out. I wasn't meaning it in a negative way.
And they aren't either. I would say it again. They took advantage of the moment. Nothing wrong with that, and you should. We're trying to give justice to a family, and absolutely that is what they should do in this moment. Again, Robert Redford died and I found out something from forty years ago that I had no idea about, and that there is somebody on the loose and they have a name what this guy would be in his sixties.
Sixties points it would be his age right now.
And yes, so it's benefactive that now there have been several news articles written about this cold case that most of us haven't heard of, and the FBI didnver field off of sharing that social media post they put on that new flyer that they've now released, and you can check it out if you go look onto their website,
it's there. But they actually have a an age progressed drawing of what they think Smicha might look like now and again reiterating that they're offering that ten thousand dollars for any information because they're just looking for one lead, one bit of information, because they when they had that renewed effort back in twenty ten, they went back to
his parents, They took their phones. They were looking for any kind of communication that may have been occurring between his parents and between Smicha, and they could find none, which.
Is really really remarkable.
Even his parents all the time claimed they did not know where he was once he left in nineteen eighty six. They said they never saw him and they never heard from him again.
Possible he's dead, I guess, I mean not necessarily old age. Who knows what could have happened. But you lived to be sixty something, You could have medical issues, could have had and hit by damn bus. Have no idea, but the behavior or the ant what his parents are saying suggest a guy who is actually on the run who doesn't want to be found.
And who knows he's guilty. There's a reason why he never showed back up, There's a reason why he left, there's a reason why he's never resurfaced, and so a lot of people think that points to his guilt as well. Now where could he be now, Well, we do know that according to the FBI, the last known trace of Smika was when his car, which had a stolen license plate and was actually scrubbed clean of fingerprints, was found abandoned in Beverly Hills in October of nineteen eighty six.
So that is the last known connection to Smicha that police have been able to actually tangibly set their hands.
On forty years ago. I don't know how people fall off the face of the earth, but he has apparently done.
So.
Look, I don't a lot of families out there who wish that their unsolved crime could get this kind of attention. And I get that, but they say, this is a case that has never gone cold, This is a case that has remained active. But now there is a tension. And I don't mind that Robert Redford is being used this way or his death is being Yeah, it sounds bad to say it that way, but to think that a guy forty years ago who haven't heard a trace of him forty years ago. My question after you said
that was who's been looking for him this type of actively? Like, who has been they are raising awareness of this somebody now like, oh that guy. I don't think it'll be long. I actually don't, because people keep writing artists and talking about this. But that was the thing that jumped to mind, is that how hard have they been looking for him? I think we had to be forty years man, But this is the time, This is the moment I think they're gonna catch his guy.
I love your positivity. I think that's incredible. And here's another thing to your point. Every time there's been some sort of renewed interest in this case, tips have come in. So there was a time when this actually was featured on forty eight hours, the CBS news program that was back in nineteen ninety eight. They had a bunch of tips and sightings police say of Zmika from California and Mexico,
but nothing actually ended up bearing fruit. But the point is when you get tips and you get information and you can start following them down, maybe one of them lead you to this guy.
And that's the hope in this case.
Wait what did you just say? There? They wait, repeat that they've wait, repeat what you just said.
Yeah, that's part about they've the lead.
They saw him somewhere, do they think, And you were looking into this a little more than I was, So my question there is possible sightings or they think he was. They do think in fact, positive sightings. They just didn't catch up.
With possible sightings and they didn't catch up with him. So that's what happened in nineteen ninety eight. And right around that same time, the parents of Smicha were actually speaking.
To reporters and they told.
They told this reporter that Smicha told them that he planned to flee and move to another country, so they knew he was leaving, and they knew that his plans involved going to another country. And he even told them at that point. This may be the reason why you know,
you said he could be dead. This is interesting. He told his parents to get their passports ready so that they could come and see him once he had settled in, but then he never reached out afterwards, they never heard from him again again.
In a sentence, will proven guilty. But this is the only person they have been looking at for this crime, and quite frankly, it just doesn't look good. But still there is they believe a killer on the loose, and they do believe they have his name. Well, stay here, folks. It's almost unbelievable to think of what happened on that Colorado campus in how Robert Redford's daughter was involved in that. But like you said, Robes, this changed him. Many people
believe forever Robert Redford. And only barely a year after this tragedy, that same daughter had another terrible scare. We'll explain. Stay here, all right, folks, welcome back to Amy and TJ. The huntas for a killer, the killer of sid Wells A University of Colorado. Soon do they say? Colorado University is see you when we see it all the time? But the correct way should? Do they not like to be called the University of Colorado.
It's so funny because obviously, if if you're a fan of this program, you know that my youngest daughter goes to we just say Boulder, so but yes, see you Boulder, but University of Colorado Boulder.
I don't what's officially the right? Okay? Apologies folks in Boulder, that's the correct way to do it. But yes, Robert Redford his death has renewed an effort to find the killer of Sidwell. Sidwells with the boyfriend of Robert Redford's daughter when they were in school back in nineteen eighty three.
That murder happened on August first, execution style, and the person they believe killed sid Wells has been on the run for forty plus years or arrested once but never formally charged, and now another arrest warrant has been issued
for him. Roges, this was we talked about you, and maybe you can talk about elaborate a little more about how people say this really impacted Robert Redford, who was at the top of his game certainly at that point to nineteen eighty three, had certainly more work to do, but he was a Hollywood heavyweight at that time.
He absolutely was.
And yes, The Natural ended up becoming such a huge hit, but yes, he had just begun production on that film when this all went down, and those around him say there was something inside of him that got fearful. He kind of had this larger than life, just a life of the party kind of personality, and they say after this.
When he came back from.
That funeral, he came back a changed man, and he came back different, and he never really resumed that care free version of himself before because suddenly, now this was obviously an unbelievable tragedy to happen to anyone, but then to have it be unsolved, to know that then this person who his friends, his family, and police all believed killed sid on the loose.
You're looking over your shoulder.
You're concerned for your safety, You're concerned for your daughter's safety, your family's safety. And he had that. There was just a chill that washed over him that never left him. And this was such an important part of his life. He wanted to do everything he could, and police say he did. He offered anything and everything he could to try and help find this man once he escaped.
You're talking about how fearful they were of somebody out there. Robin Redford reportedly paid for security for the family because they didn't know where the killer was and wanted to make sure they were safe. I mean, so I am learning now that yes, this was the boyfriend of his daughter, But the more I read up on it, this sound like a family member of Robert Redford died.
Yes, he considered him probably a son in law, a future son in law at the very least. That's how serious these two were. And yeah, the pictures of the two of them are everywhere. They were such a sweet couple. And yes, his mother the interview was sids mother. She's since passed, but just spoke so highly.
She said. At first she was upset.
She thought that the Robert Redford connection was overshadowing the death and the murder of her son, and she was concerned that maybe people were too excited about Robert Redford's connection and not interested enough in actually solving the crime. But then she said, she came to realize she needed Robert Redford and that his focus and that his celebrity actually drew attention to the case, and that was she thought at that point. Yeah, the only hope they had of actually getting enough eyeballs.
You see, we've seen this over the years in crimes.
Family members are desperate to get media to pay attention to their families, their loved one story, whoever was killed, especially if there's someone on a loose or someone who has and faced justice. They are desperate to get the media to pay attention to their story and this was an obvious way to do it, and she realized it eventually and was grateful for it.
Yeah, I mean, and why not? And here we are again, And I really wonder what she'd have thought. We talked still about this being a family member. Was there was You probably saw the photo as well, but it was freaking adorable of them when they were freshmen. I think sid wells his dad was in the military, so he had, you know, this sense of milily even if he wasn't
going into the military. He I think it was rotc but he had some freshman first dance he had to go to and he needed a date, and that's when he asked Sean O to be his date. And low and behold, they stayed together throughout all those years. This was a significant relationship. And I just had no idea about this story. But Robes this same daughter. So this murder was in August of nineteen eighty three. I think
it was early summer nineteen eighty four. His daughter was in a really serious car accident in which her car plunged into a river and she had to be pulled out. She escaped without very serious injuries, but the very next year. So to your what you were saying about his daughter and how this changed him, and how he lived in fear, and you know he had to worry about his daughter. She was not in the home or nearby necessarily when
the murder took place. But still, this is somebody that close that violence, that close to home, and that close to somebody you loved the way you would love your daughter. Then the very next year this happened. I can't imagine. I would like to go back and study him now to a certain degree, at least his public life, and I bet you you very well could see a difference in him from nineteen eighty two to nineteen eighty nine ninety. I can't imagine how this one year changed this man.
And you know what, it is a remarkable thing. I think a lot of us see celebrities and we think they they live this charmed life where they don't deal with pain or tragedy, or they're insulated from some of that by their celebrity and their money.
No, and it's so this is just.
Another glaring example of just the human side of all of us, and that no matter who you are, murdered death, all they touch you in such a deep traumatic way you can't recover oftentimes, and that's what it seems to have been the case with.
Robert Redford and in Shauna. I didn't. I went and looked.
She's married, she has two kids, she's living, she's a painter. Seems like she's lived a beautiful life. But I'm sure that pain and that not knowing and that emptiness is still there.
And you know what, she's dealing with it again, she sees the what's in news, she sees the headlines, she knows what's happening. She just lost her dad. And this is a part of this story. Now, this will not be the last we hear of it. I just absolutely think because of this in depth, Robert Redford might be helpful in solving a crime and giving a family justice they've been looking for for forty plus years. So, folks, we just wanted to hop on this is one we're
absolutely going to be following. So we always appreciate you spending some time here with us. So on behalf of Amy Robot. I'm TJ. Holmes. We'll talk to y'all real soon.