Stranger attacked 18-year-olds in 1984, killing one, CA cops say. Now an arrest
A pair of 18-year-olds were talking in a car in California in 1984 when a stranger pulled up, officials said.
The man had a gun, and he attacked them — fatally shooting the young man and sexually assaulting the young woman, according to the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.
Despite “an extensive investigation,” the stranger wasn’t identified.
But now, more than 40 years later, a man living in Tucson, Arizona, has been linked to the attack through DNA, the sheriff’s office said in a July 23 news release posted to Facebook.
Roger Neil Schmidt Sr. was arrested on charges of murder and sexual assault, and officials are working to bring him to California, deputies said.
McClatchy News couldn’t immediately find attorney information for Schmidt on July 25.
The now-64-year-old is accused of shooting Terry Arndt on Dec. 14, 1984, and sexually assaulting Arndt’s companion.
The 18-year-olds were parked near Burney High School when the stranger pulled up, deputies said, noting Arndt was shot as “he covered the female victim to protect her.”
The woman drove the wounded Arndt for help when the attacker left, according to deputies.
Schmidt was identified as a suspect with help from Othram, a company specializing in forensic genetic genealogy, deputies said.
His DNA was tested and matched evidence from the attack, according to deputies.
Schmidt was 23 in December 1984 and living in Burney, per deputies.
In a news conference, Shasta County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson said the attack “rocked that community for several years.”
He described the new development in the case as “a monumental accomplishment,” but also “a bit bittersweet.”
“It doesn’t negate the fact that there’s a family — and families — that have been forever impacted and will forever live with the trauma and the aftermath that was left behind for them,” he said.
Burney is about a 215-mile drive north from Sacramento.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Stranger attacked 18-year-olds in 1984, killing one, CA cops say. Now an arrest."
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