An Oregon man was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for a November 1981 Griffith cold case slaying.
Gregory C. Thurson, 66, of Eugene, Oregon, pleaded guilty in June to voluntary manslaughter, a Class A felony. Under Indiana law at the time, he would serve 50% of the sentence with good behavior.
The victim, John Blaylock, Sr., 51, was found beaten to death at the Mansards apartments, court records state.
Police believe he died sometime between Nov. 1 and 3, 1981. The affidavit stated that Blaylock was seen that night with Thurson, then 21, at a local bar.
The case was built by forensic genetic genealogy, which is the same science that traced DNA family trees to find the Golden State Killer in California and help solve the Yogurt Shop Murders in Austin, Texas.
Deputy Prosecutor Robert Persin said Thursday that one of the victim’s sons wanted to thank the Griffith Police Department and prosecutor’s office.
The killing itself was “personal” and “brutal,” he said.
Since the case was so old, they cut a plea deal. Some witnesses had died, or others had “faded” memories, Persin said. If they went to trial, a jury could have returned a voluntary manslaughter conviction, he said.
Defense lawyer Joseph Curosh agreed the decades-old case had “difficulties” at trial and said Thurson “expressed a desire to take accountability for his actions.”
His client had one felony conviction dating back to the 1970s. Thurson struggled with drugs and alcohol in the 1970s and 1980s, but got clean and moved out to Oregon in the mid-1990s where he was law-abiding until his arrest, the lawyer said.
Thurson apologized in court, saying the killing “tears at my heart and soul every day.”
They hadn’t been able to establish a motive, retired Griffith Det. John Mowery, Jr. and Det. Jacob Schoon said after the hearing. In the end, they were able to bring Blaylock’s family some answers, they said.
Back in 1981, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department did a “meticulous job” at documenting and collecting evidence, Mowery said. Decades later, they were able to submit evidence to Parabon NanoLabs for analysis.
Persin said in court that since Thurson hadn’t broken the law for decades, his DNA profile was not in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is a national FBI DNA database.
Mowery Jr. picked up the case in 2018. He retired from the Griffith Police Department a few months after Thurson was arrested. His father, John Mowery, Sr., was one of the case’s original detectives.
Griffith Police responded just before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1981, to the 1000 block of River Road, Detective Stephen Markovich wrote back in 1981.
Blaylock’s two co-workers went over to his place when he hadn’t shown up for his shift at Inland Steel the prior day. His Sunday newspaper was still outside, the affidavit noted.
A Mansards apartments employee went inside and saw that a bathroom light was left on.
He found Blaylock face down in a pool of blood on the bedroom floor, records state. Blaylock had a pair of cut-off jean shorts over his head. He was in a white T-shirt and nude from the waist down, court records state.
Cops found clothes thrown around, including two new “velour sweaters” with tags attached from Zayre — a now-defunct retail chain that was located at Cline Avenue and Ridge Road.
There were no signs of forced entry, the affidavit states.
Pathologist Dr. Alexander Custodio ruled his death a homicide from a skull fracture due to blunt force (trauma). He also had bruises, cuts and brain hemorrhages from the injuries, court records state.
His family, including two adult sons, and co-workers steered cops in 1981 to John’s Place, 1613 N. Cline Avenue. The staff said Blaylock was a regular, records state. The longtime bar is still in business today.
A female bartender told police on Nov. 4, 1981, that she saw Blaylock, i.e. “Little Johnny,” at the bar with a “younger” man she didn’t recognize, the affidavit states. The “younger” man was described as being between 5’8’’ to 5’10,’’ medium build, 20-23 with “straggly,” “dirty blonde” hair and dark eyes.
