North Whitehall man, 75, to return to Calif. to face charges in slaying
Woman found strangled in San Diego in 1969
John Sipos, the 75-year-old North Whitehall man accused in a 1969 cold case rape and murder in San Diego, waived extradition Wednesday in Lehigh County Court, clearing the way for him to return to California to face charges.
Sipos’ attorney, John Waldron, said he spoke to his client in preparation for the hearing before Judge Robert L. Steinberg and determined that Sipos was clear-headed enough to understand what was happening in court.
Waldron said Sipos denies killing 24-year-old Mary Scott, a go-go dancer who was found strangled in her apartment Nov. 20, 1969.
“He has no memory of him committing a homicide,” Waldron said, noting that Sipos was honorably discharged after serving in the Navy in California from 1963-69. “He doesn’t really recall much about that time, but a crime like that is something he would have remembered.”
Sipos, whois charged with murder, will remain in Lehigh County Jail until California authorities arrange his transport, which may take several weeks due to pandemic travel restrictions, Waldron said.
San Diego County district attor-
“We’ve been struggling a long time to see this get solved. I know we still have a long way to go, but this has been such a long time coming.”
— Donna Wyble, daughter of Mary Scott, a go-go dancer who was found strangled in her apartment Nov. 20, 1969
ney’s office spokesperson Tanya Sierra said more information will be released after Sipos is arraigned in California.
Sipos was detained Oct. 24 at his home in the 5200 block of Cobbler Road on a California arrest warrant. Court records say detectives used forensic genealogy to link Sipos to Scott’s killing, but police have released few details about the investigation.
Scott was last seen around 2:15 a.m. getting into a cab at the Star and Garter Club, where she worked as a dancer. When she didn’t arrive for work later that day, another dancer went to Scott’s apartment and discovered her nude body sprawled on the floor near the door, newspaper reports from 1969 say. She had been sexually assaulted, police said at the time.
Inside Scott’s apartment, there were signs of a struggle. The security chain had been torn from the door frame, chairs were overturned and an ashtray smashed.
The case remained unsolved for decades, despite efforts by Scott’s family to revive the investigation, including hiring private investigators.
Scott’s daughter, Donna Wyble, told The Morning Call last month that the family was relieved by the news of Sipos’ arrest, but knows there is a long road ahead.
“We’ve been struggling a long time to see this get solved. I know we still have a long way to go, but this has been such a long time coming,” Wyble said last month from her home in Lafayette, Louisiana. “I’m just overwhelmed.”
Waldron said Sipos has numerous health problems and would prefer to have the case handled in Pennsylvania, but the law does not allow for that.
“He knows he has to go to California and try to straighten this out. He doesn’t have much choice, really.”