Augusta - A former Maine man has been arrested in Seattle and charged with murdering an Augusta woman in 1976.

Police say 63-year-old Gary Raub, also known as Gary Wilson, killed 70-year-old Blanche Kimball.

The arrest of Raub started with a tip received last year. "That bit of information turned out not to be related to the case at all," Lieutenant Chris Coleman of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit said Tuesday. "But the effort caused detectives to look at the case files and closely examine the evidence, DNA, photographs, with a new set of eyes. That restarted our latest investigation."

Police would not elaborate on what those items were, but after they were analyzed at the Maine State Police Crime Lab in Augusta, DNA obtained from the 36-year-old evidence led them to arrest Gary Raub.

In June of 1976, the body of Blanche Kimball was found in her Augusta home after concerned neighbors, who hadn't seen her in a few days, called police. Police say she died of multiple stab wounds.

According to police, Blanche Kimball let Raub into her home as a short term renter shortly before the murder. Coleman said Raub was a suspect in their original investigation, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge him with murder. "Looking at the file, his name did come up back then. He was known to Blanche. He lived in that house for a short time."

Coleman said State Police have been working hand-in-hand with Augusta Police since the day the murder occurred. "I can tell you from looking at the case file the investigators of the day back in 1976 did a very thorough job," Coleman said. "They were able to collect evidence that painted a very clear picture about what happened. I think it's fair to say the science and technology hadn't caught up with him at that point."

Representatives from both departments spoke to the media Tuesday. Both of them agree that Blanche Kimball's story, despite being nearly four decades old, still needs to be told. "The public needs to know that these cases never go away. This is something we always worked. The statute of limitations doesn't run out. We don't stop looking at them," said Jared Mills, Deputy chief of the Augusta Police Department.

If Raub waives extradition he'll be back in Maine within days. If he doesn't it could take months. Coleman says one way or another, Raub will eventually be back in Maine to answer to a murder charge.

Coleman says there are dozens of cold cases that are currently being investigated by detectives in the Major Crimes Unit. Last month 57-year-old Jay Mercier was convicted of killing 20-year-old Rita St. Peter in North Anson back in 1980. It's the oldest cold case murder conviction in Maine history. Now, police and the Attorney General's office will try to make the Jay Mercier case the second oldest cold case murder conviction in state history. "Blanche died in 1976 and her story needed to be told," Coleman said. "If we can hold somebody accountable for that death, that's what we need to do no matter how long it takes."

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