Man charged with 1972 murder of Jody Loomis appears in court

EVERETT, Wash. -- The man arrested last week in the 1972 rape and murder of Jody Loomis in 1972 has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge.

Terrence Miller, 77, appeared in court Monday afternoon.

Miller,  who was identified as a suspect through genetic genealogy, was arrested Thursday (April 11) at his home around 10:30 a.m. without incident. He has been charged with 1st degree premeditated murder and is being held in the Snohomish County jail on $1 million bail, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.

The arrest in the cold case comes more than 46 years after 20-year-old Loomis was found raped, shot and near-death in what was at the time a heavily wooded area near what is now Mill Creek Road, east of the intersection of Bothell-Everett Hwy and 164th Street SW.

Detectives believe Miller was living in the Edmonds area at the time of the murder, about five miles from where Loomis’ body was found.

Investigators connected DNA from the crime scene with information that Miller's relatives posted on genealogy websites.