The suspect in a 1987 Glendale homicide took his own life just days after providing cold case investigators with a DNA sample, authorities announced Tuesday.
A subsequent analysis matched Gary Wayne Billups’ DNA profile to evidence collected during the initial investigation into the death of Orison James “Jim” Chafin, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Chafin, 54, was found dead at the Resthaven Cemetery in Glendale on Aug. 8, 1987. The Navy veteran, who lived alone at a West Valley trailer park, had his throat cut and was wearing only socks, prosecutors said…