DNA helps police solve 1970 murder

DAYTON — More than 36 years after Dayton native Sharon Leichtman Katz was murdered in her Columbus apartment, police have identified her killer.

"Virtually everybody said at this late date they didn't expect the case to be solved," said Ahron Leichtman, the victim's brother. "But I want people to know the police did their job and got the guy. It should give other people hope."

In September 1970, Sharon Leichtman Katz' husband, Nathan, found her dead in 8 inches of water in the bathtub with twine tied around her neck.

A 21-year-old senior Ohio State University student, Katz had married her husband and moved to Columbus from Dayton only nine months before the slaying.

While the police had several suspects at the time, including several construction workers, no one was ever charged with the crime.

Last weekend, Columbus police matched DNA collected 36 years ago to the DNA of James A. Keifer.

According to Columbus Detective Ralph Taylor, Keifer had been questioned at the time of the murder and later charged with a similar crime making him an immediate suspect.

But in 2002, 53-year-old Keifer died and was cremated, making it nearly impossible for police to gather DNA. Taylor, however, obtained permission from Keifer's parents to compare their DNA with that found at the time of the murder.

Leichtman, who now lives outside of Cincinnati, said knowing Keifer is dead brings some closure to him and his two sisters.

"It did open up a wound that is still with me," he said. "It is something that just doesn't go away and people might find that hard to relate to."

The family, who lived in Dayton View at the time of the murder, said they are glad they don't have to go through a trial. But Leichtman said he had not anticipated the murderer would already be dead.