DNA from Chewing Gum Convicts Man in 41-Year-Old Murder of College Student

According to the report of TRUE CRIME, in a big decision a judge found 60 year old Robert Plympton guilty of a terrible crime. He murdered 19 year old Barbara Tucker way back in 1980. The Multnomah County District Attorney Office announced the verdict after a trial. Plympton was convicted of first-degree murder and four counts of second-degree murder. But he was found guilty of rape or sexual abuse because there was not enough proof.

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DNA from Chewing Gum Convicts Man in 41-Year-Old Murder of College Student (PHOTO: Daily Express US)

Closure Achieved as Robert Plympton Found Guilty in 1980 Murder Case

This case was unsolved for more than 40 years until 2021. That when DNA evidence connected Plympton to the crime. Investigators used fancy techniques to link him to Tucker DNA. They even collected a piece of chewing gum he spat out during surveillance. The DNA from the gum matched the DNA from Tucker swabs. Finally in June 2021 Plympton was arrested. This ended years of hard work by the police and brought closure to Tucker family. Barbara Tucker tragic death in 1980 near Mt. Hood Community College left a lasting scar on Portland. But now, with Plympton conviction there some closure. It shows how determined law enforcement was in finding the truth. As Plympton awaits his sentence the community remembers those who fought for justice. And the piece of chewing gum played a big part in solving this long-standing mystery.

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