A man has been charged with the murder of a traveling auto parts salesman in an Ohio hotel room over 40 years ago. Authorities announced on Monday that Randy Lane McAllister, 62, from Columbus, was indicted by a Warren County grand jury for the death of John Christopher Warren, which occurred on October 17, 1985.
McAllister faces charges of aggravated murder and manslaughter after investigators revisited the cold case using forensic evidence.
The victim was discovered dead a day after checking into a now-closed Holiday Inn in Middletown, Ohio. He was reportedly in town for a meeting. Initially, detectives believed the crime was a robbery that had turned violent.
At the time of his death, many of Warren’s belongings were reported missing, including his 1985 Oldsmobile. A few days later, his belongings were found behind a Cracker Barrel in Dalton, Georgia, while his car was located in Redington Beach, Florida.
According to prosecutors, detectives at the time followed several leads, but there wasn’t sufficient evidence to move forward with the case.
In 2019, the investigation was reopened when some of Warren’s belongings were sent for forensic analysis, leading detectives to McAllister and his now-deceased accomplice.
“This is a case of extreme violence,” Assistant Prosecutor Brian Goodyear remarked during McAllister’s first court appearance, noting that Warren had been bludgeoned and strangled. “This was a very violent death.”
Goodyear also mentioned that McAllister has a history of violent offenses, including felonious assault and aggravated robbery, and has been evading law enforcement for four decades.
However, prosecutors have not revealed the specifics of how the recovered items linked McAllister to the crime.
