LONGMONT, Colo.—Authorities say a man serving a 72-year prison term for rape will soon face charges in another case: the 1993 slaying of a Longmont woman.
A warrant was issued Monday for Rudy Gaytan’s arrest on suspicion of first-degree murder and other charges in the death of 30-year-old Tammera Tatum, court documents said.
Prosecutor Tim Johnson said it likely would be about two weeks before Gaytan, 47, is brought to Boulder County from the state prison in Limon to face the new charges.
Gaytan is in prison on charges that he raped a 19-year-old Longmont woman at knifepoint in 1996. He was convicted in 2007 after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.
Longmont police Cmdr. Tim Lewis said Monday that DNA testing also helped investigators connect Gaytan to Tatum’s death.
“As technology has advanced, new forms of testing have become available, and we took advantage of that with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation,” Lewis said. “We’re really thrilled to be able to get him identified.”
Investigators say Tatum was sexually assaulted and strangled in her second-floor apartment on May 1, 1993, while her 1-year-old daughter was home. The child wasn’t injured but was left alone for up to 18 hours before her father found her.
Police reopened the case a year ago because of new information.
Lewis said Monday that investigators have spent thousands of hours working the case, and it’s “nice to finally have some good news.”
“We are glad to be bringing this case into the justice system for the victim and her family,” he said.
