Inmate Charged with Bay Area Teen's 1982 Murder

BAY AREA, CA -- Solano County authorities have charged a 51-year-old inmate at Kern Valley State Prison has been charged with the 1982 murder of a 14-year-old girl.

On Jan. 26, the Solano County District Attorney's Office charged Marvin Ray Markle with the murder of 14-year-old De Anna Lynn Johnson. Markle, 51, appeared in Solano County Juvenile Court because he was 17 at the time of the Nov. 15, 1982 bludgeoning murder, Solano County District Attorney Krishna Abrams said.

He's expected to return to Juvenile Court on Feb. 1 for further arraignment, Abrams said, where prosecutors will request the transfer of the case to adult criminal court for all court hearings.

Markle's being held without bail in Solano County Jail. He was arrested for Johnson's murder Tuesday at Kern Valley State Prison, where he was serving 80 years for the shooting murder of 41-year-old Shirley Ann Pratt of Butte County on Oct. 12, 2001.

A Southern Pacific Railroad employee found Johnson's body adjacent to Elmira Road near Royal Oaks Drive on Nov. 16, 1982. Vacaville police said Johnson had attended a house party the night before and Markle was believed to be among the teen guests.

Markle was considered a suspect in the murder early in the investigation, but the case went cold for three decades, police said.

Vacaville police learned Markle was a suspect in the Butte County murder, and they collaborated with the Butte County Sheriff's Office until Markle's arrest in Butte County in July 2013.

Vacaville police attended Markle's trial in 2014 and witnessed testimony that helped their investigation of Johnson's slaying.

Vacaville police obtained a warrant for Markle's arrest this month, and he was arrested at 8:15 a.m. Jan. 24 in Kern Valley State Prison.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock