Closing arguments made in Bellingham cold case murder



BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- A trial over a decades-old cold case in Whatcom County is drawing to a close.

Closing arguments were heard Wednesday in the trial of Timothy Bass. He is accused in the 1989 rape and murder of 18-year-old Mandy Stavik.

In their closing arguments today, prosecutors said Bass tried to cover up the murder by casting blame on Mandy and by pinning the crime on someone else.

The defense argued that DNA evidence linking Bass to the crime, which much of the investigation hinged on, was inconclusive.