Alaska Department of Law
04/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/26/2024 16:00
Donald McQuade Sentenced to Serve 50 Years for 1978 Murder of 16-Year-Old Shelley Connolly
April 26, 2024
(Anchorage, AK) - Today, Superior Court Judge Andrew Peterson sentenced 67-year-old Donald McQuade of Gresham, Oregon to serve 50 years for the Murder in the First Degree conviction for the 1978 murder of sixteen-year-old Shelley Connolly in Anchorage.
On January 7, 1978, the body of Shelley Connolly was discovered along a roadside pullout on the Seward Highway south of Anchorage. Alaska State Troopers (AST) responded and investigated the murder and suspected rape of Connolly. Despite an extensive investigation and review of multiple suspects, the case went cold. Evidence collected from inside Connolly's body at the autopsy was used to develop a DNA profile. That profile was later uploaded into a nationwide DNA database, however no match was ever discovered.
Despite reopening the case and re-examining the evidence multiple times, Alaska State Troopers were unable to identify a suspect in Connolly's death until 2019, when the Alaska State Troopers Cold Case Unit connected McQuade to the case using genetic genealogy. Through DNA testing, investigators were able to match DNA samples collected from two places on Connolly's body to McQuade's DNA.
The case was initially investigated by Alaska State Trooper Investigators Charles Miller and D. Randy Johnston, both of whom testified at the trial. Between 1978 and 2019, the case was investigated by multiple Alaska State Troopers. AST Cold Case Investigator Randy McPherron investigated the case from 2019 until 2023. Gresham Police Department also assisted with the investigation.
In his sentencing remarks Judge Peterson prioritized the seriousness and circumstances of the crime, the harm to the victim and her family, and the need to emphasize community condemnation. Judge Peterson noted that Mr. McQuade had lived a full life and had watched his children grow into adulthood, a privilege that Shelley Connolly and her family were denied.
Assistant Attorneys General Erin McCarthy and Paige Smothers of the Office of Special Prosecutions prosecuted the case for the State.
"We hope that Shelley's loved ones are able to obtain some closure in light of this sentence," McCarthy said. "The state asked the court to impose a 50-year sentence because it appropriately considers the seriousness and severity of this crime as well as Mr. McQuade's advanced age. The Department of Law thanks the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Lab, and the Gresham Police Department for their partnership and dedication throughout the life of this case."
CONTACT: Assistant Attorney General Erin McCarthy, at (907) 269-6250 or [email protected].
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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at [email protected] or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at [email protected] or (907) 269-6269.