SAN DIEGO (CNS) — A 76-year-old man was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday in the death of a City Heights woman more than a half-century ago.
John Sipos was found guilty following about a day of jury deliberations for the Nov. 20, 1969, slaying of 23-year-old Mary Scott, who was found dead inside her apartment in the 4000 block of 39th Street..
Scott was a go-go dancer at the Star & Garter, a club located near her apartment, while Sipos was a former Navy sailor living in San Diego.
Prosecutors alleged Sipos broke down the door to Scott's home, raped her and then strangled or asphyxiated her.
Sipos is scheduled to be sentenced April 22, when he is expected to receive a seven-year-to-life term, the maximum term he would have received at the time of the killing.
Police said that after the case went cold, it was later re-evaluated by the cold case units of the San Diego Police Department and San Diego County District Attorney's Office.
DNA left at the scene tied Sipos to the case and he was arrested in late 2020 at his Pennsylvania home.
