Summary: On Friday, June 11, 2010, 67-year-old James Samuel Owens was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of 42-year old Nancy Eileen Converse. Ms. Converse was murdered sometime between January 31, and February 2, 1987. Her body was found in her apartment located at 5700 N. Kerby, Apt #317, on February 2, 1987. The Police Bureau's Cold Case Unit began investigating the case in 2006. DNA from the case was sent to the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory and came back with a link to James Owens, who was already in prison on a 1989 rape charge. This case was a collaborative effort between the Cold Case Unit, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office and the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory.
