Suspect in 1986 homicide died by suicide

A Pennsylvania man, who fled Colorado after an Aurora stabbing death 33 years ago, died by suicide this summer after a detective told him that blood found in the victim’s home was matched to his DNA, Aurora police said.

At the time of his death, 52-year-old John Edward Strait was the primary suspect in the stabbing of 28year-old Julian Lawrence Domenico, who died in his one-bedroom apartment in 1986, said Steve Conner, an Aurora Police Department cold case homicide detective.

After Strait died, Domenico’s case was closed, Conner said.

Conner was investigating the abduction and death of Donna Sue Wayne, an 18-year-old high school student, when Domenico’s unsolved case grabbed his interest.

Wayne was last seen alive July 14, 1986, at an Aurora bar called Shagnasty’s on the 400 block of Havana Street.

Domenico was last seen alive about three weeks later also at Shagnasty’s, Conner said.

The detective said he suspected the two homicides may have been committed by the same person.

In the process of investigating the Domenico homicide, he submitted blood evidence from the victim’s home to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for DNA testing this year.

In April, a CBI employee called Conner to say that blood drops collected in Domenico’s home were matched through a national database to Strait, by then a registered sex offender living in Greencastle, Pa.

Although the DNA test didn’t lead to an arrest in the teenager’s death, it led to a strong suspect in Domenico’s homicide, Conner said.

Witnesses in Domenico’s death told police that a group of acquaintances left Shagnasty’s on Aug. 3, 1986, and went to Domenico’s apartment for an afterparty fueled with drugs and liquor, the detective said.

It was Conner’s belief that Strait had gone to the party and, at some point, a conflict erupted between Domenico and Strait. It could have been over any number of things, including a bad drug deal, he said.

Killers who use knives often cut themselves in a frenzied state of anger, he said. He believed that is the likely reason Strait’s blood ended up in Domenico’s home.

Conner and Aurora police Sgt. Steve Kokerst flew to Pennsylvania, and they interviewed Strait on April 8.

Strait was friendly, but he claimed that he had never been in Colorado and had never met Domenico, Conner said.

“If you’ve never been in Colorado before, how did you get arrested and convicted of drunken driving after you crashed a Cadillac?” Conner said he asked Strait.

The contradiction created a fault line in Strait’s alibi that grew when the Aurora officers mentioned that his blood was found inside Domenico’s home.

Strait suddenly began remembering.

He admitted that he had lived for a short time in Colorado, and he remembered going to Shagnasty’s, Conner said.

How did his blood get inside Domenico’s apartment?

Strait said that if his blood ended up in Domenico’s apartment, he must have partied there at some point.

He added that he must have poked himself in the arm while he was mainlining methamphetamine with a needle, Conner said.

But he did not stab Domenico, the suspect told the officers.

He stuck to his story, but his facial cues gave Conner an altogether different story, the detective said.

“When he left, he acted like his puppy had died,” Conner said.

Conner and Kokerst returned to Aurora.

About six weeks later, Conner received a call from Pennsylvania. Strait had killed himself June 15.

Although Conner said he would have preferred seeing Strait held accountable for Domenico’s murder, he was satisfied knowing who was responsible for the murder.

The case was solved.