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Man pleads guilty to abduction, rape, murder of April Tinsley

Man pleads guilty to abduction, rape, murder of April Tinsley
Posted at 9:44 AM, Dec 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-08 09:44:26-05

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana man has pleaded guilty to the 1988 abduction, rape and killing of an 8-year-old Fort Wayne girl.

John D. Miller, of Grabill, pleaded guilty Friday to murder and child molestation charges in long-unsolved killing of April Tinsley. Miller was arrested in July and had been scheduled to stand trial in February, but he’s now due to be sentenced Dec. 31 in Allen County Superior Court.

A plea agreement calls for the 59-year-old Miller to serve 80 years in prison.

READ | Suspect in 1988 killing of April Tinsley appears in court |  Man arrested in connection with 30-year-old cold case rape and murder of 8-year-old April Tinsley |  Mom of Indiana girl killed in '88 hopes defendant getsdeath 

Tinsley was abducted in April 1988. Her body was found three days later in a ditch about 20 miles (32 kilometers) away. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Investigators say DNA evidence and genealogy databases helped them link Miller to the crime. 

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