A 47-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted in a 24-year-old murder case.
The Attorney General’s office reports that John Oldson has been sentenced life-to-life in prison for the death of Cathy Beard in 1989. The sentence for second degree murder will require Oldson serve no less than life imprisonment.
“After more than 20 years of deception and misdirection, this man has been brought to justice for murdering Cathy Beard,” Attorney General Jon Bruning said in a written statement released by his office. “Today’s sentence stands as a testament to the dogged efforts of Nebraska law enforcement.”
The skeletal remains of Cathy Beard were found in a rural Valley County pasture three years after she was last seen leaving the Some Place Else Tavern in Ord with Oldson May 31st of 1989.
Forensic pathologist Dr. Matthias Okoye testified during Oldson’s trial that an examination of Beard’s remains in 1992 by a team of forensic experts determined Beard had been killed by blunt force trauma to the head and trunk. Stab wounds to the rib and vertebrae also contributed to her death.
The jury returned a verdict after nearly seven hours of deliberation.