State investigators in Arizona have resolved a nearly four-decade-old murder mystery involving the 1987 slaying of a Glendale man whose body was discovered abandoned in a local cemetery. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced on Sept. 15 that forensic evidence and renewed investigative efforts have definitively linked the killing of 54-year-old Orison "Jim" Chafin to a suspect who took his own life shortly after providing his DNA to detectives.
The identified perpetrator, 68-year-old Gary Billups of Wittmann, will not face prosecution in a court of law. State authorities confirmed that Billups committed suicide following a June encounter with cold case detectives, during which he submitted a biological sample that ultimately matched genetic material preserved from the original crime scene.
During a public briefing detailing the findings, Attorney General Mayes addressed the complicated nature of closing a long-standing homicide investigation without a criminal trial. Mayes emphasized that while the suspect's death precludes judicial proceedings, the breakthrough provides long-overdue clarity regarding the circumstances surrounding Chafin's violent death nearly 39 years ago.
The cold case dates back to the early morning hours of Aug. 8, 1987, at the Resthaven Park Cemetery, situated near the intersection of Northern Avenue and 63rd Avenue in Glendale. A group of young adults who were in the area witnessed an unidentified motor vehicle speeding away from the cemetery grounds and subsequently discovered Chafin’s body.
Responding police officers arriving at the scene found Chafin, a Navy veteran who lived alone in Glendale, deceased and clad only in his socks. A subsequent examination revealed that the victim had suffered severe, fatal lacerations across his neck, prompting an immediate homicide investigation by local law enforcement.
Detectives quickly established that Chafin had spent the hours leading up to his death at a nearby neighborhood tavern. Witnesses reported that Chafin had engaged in arguments with three other men inside the establishment, identifying the individuals as Billups and brothers Willie and Kenneth Mayfield.
In the initial aftermath of the killing, Glendale detectives located and interviewed both Mayfield brothers regarding their interactions with Chafin. However, investigators at the time were unable to track down Billups, leaving his potential involvement unexamined for decades as active leads dried up and the case went cold.
The investigation was revitalized following the establishment of a specialized cold case unit launched by Mayes in early 2025. The unit is spearheaded by Roger Geisler, a former Glendale police detective who had originally investigated the homicide in the late 1980s and sought to review the unresolved files with modern investigative techniques.
Upon re-examining the case record, state investigators noted that Billups had never been officially questioned despite contemporaneous witness statements placing him alongside Chafin before the murder. Working with updated locating resources, the team tracked Billups to his residence in Wittmann and arranged an interview earlier this year.
During the modern interview, Billups denied any connection to the 1987 incident, asserting to detectives that he did not reside in Glendale during that period and claimed to have no knowledge of the homicide. Despite these denials, Billups consented to provide a voluntary DNA swab to the cold case investigators in June.
Subsequent forensic testing returned a positive match between Billups' genetic profile and DNA recovered from physical evidence collected beside Chafin's body in 1987, specifically from discarded beer bottles and cigarette butts left at the Resthaven Park Cemetery crime scene.
Shortly after submitting his DNA sample, Billups died by suicide. State officials released portions of a handwritten suicide note penned by Billups in cursive, in which he claimed he had done no wrongdoing but stated he could not endure the pressure of the investigation without records or recollection to defend himself.
Detective Geisler noted that the combination of the forensic match, Billups' interview conduct, and the sentiments expressed in his final note led investigators to conclude that he took his own life to evade impending legal accountability. Law enforcement officials affirmed that these factors firmly establish Billups as the killer responsible for Chafin's death.
Investigators also examined the potential culpability of the Mayfield brothers, who were present during the initial bar dispute. Both brothers have since died, precluding further interviews, and forensic analysts noted that available genetic evidence could not distinguish which brother had been present at the cemetery scene.
Criminal Division Chief Nick Klingerman clarified that prosecutors possessed sufficient evidence to formally charge Billups with murder had he lived. Klingerman highlighted an earlier incident in which Billups had pulled a knife on a police officer, demonstrating his access to and willingness to brandish bladed weapons.
Acknowledging that certain details will inevitably remain unresolved due to the passage of time and the deaths of all key parties, Mayes maintained that the findings bring essential truth to light. State officials concluded that the evidence firmly places responsibility on Billups, finally providing answers in one of the state's most enduring cold cases.
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