State investigators in Arizona have brought closure to a nearly four-decade-old homicide investigation, identifying the man responsible for the 1987 slaying of a Glendale resident found dead in a local cemetery. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the breakthrough, revealing that forensic evidence finally linked a longtime suspect to the gruesome crime after 39 years of unanswered questions.
The identified suspect, 68-year-old Gary Billups of Wittmann, will not face formal prosecution in a court of law. Officials confirmed that Billups took his own life shortly after providing a voluntary DNA sample to state cold case investigators, which subsequently produced a direct match to physical evidence gathered at the original crime scene.
The case dates back to the early morning hours of August 8, 1987, when several young adults visiting Resthaven Park Cemetery, located near Northern Avenue and 63rd Avenue in Glendale, observed a vehicle hurriedly fleeing the property. Upon checking the area, the witnesses made a horrifying discovery: the body of 54-year-old Orison "Jim" Chafin.
Responding police officers arrived to find Chafin deceased, clothed only in his socks, and bearing a fatal cut to his neck. Chafin, a Navy veteran who lived alone in Glendale, had spent his final hours at a nearby neighborhood bar, where witnesses reported he had become embroiled in a dispute with three other men.
During the initial 1987 investigation, detectives identified two of the individuals present during the barroom altercation as brothers Willie Mayfield and Kenneth Mayfield. Glendale detectives managed to locate and interview the Mayfield brothers at the time, but efforts to track down the third man involved, Gary Billups, proved unsuccessful, causing the investigation to eventually stall.
The stalled case gained renewed momentum after Attorney General Mayes established a specialized cold case unit in early 2025. The dedicated investigative team was placed under the leadership of Roger Geisler, a former Glendale police detective who had personally worked on the Chafin homicide investigation during his earlier career in law enforcement.
Upon reopening the case files in 2026, the unit identified critical investigative gaps, most notably that Billups had never been questioned despite witness testimony placing him at the bar alongside Chafin shortly before the murder. Investigators tracked Billups down in Wittmann to conduct the long-delayed interview.
During his initial questioning with cold case detectives earlier this year, Billups claimed that he had not resided in Glendale at the time of Chafin's death and maintained that he had no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident. Despite his verbal denials, Billups agreed in June to provide a biological sample for comparative DNA testing.
Forensic analysis subsequently established that Billups' DNA was an exact match to biological material preserved from cigarette butts and beer bottles that were recovered directly alongside Chafin's body at the Resthaven Park Cemetery crime scene in 1987.
Before authorities could formalize charges or take him into custody, Billups died by suicide. Officials with the Attorney General's Office released portions of a handwritten suicide note written by Billups in cursive script, in which he asserted, "I did no wrong doing," while adding that he could not withstand the pressure of the investigation because he had "nothing to save my ass. No paper no memory."
Despite the claims in the note, law enforcement officials concluded that his actions were an admission of guilt. Geisler explained that based on the suspect's erratic behaviors, his contradictory interview responses, and the contents of his final letter, investigators firmly believe Billups ended his life because he realized authorities were closing in on his role in the killing.
Criminal Division Chief Nick Klingerman affirmed that state prosecutors had gathered sufficient evidence to formally indict Billups for Chafin's murder had he survived. Klingerman pointed out that prior to the 1987 homicide, Billups had an incident on his record where he pulled a knife on a police officer, demonstrating a documented history of carrying and brandishing bladed weapons.
Investigators also addressed the roles of the Mayfield brothers, noting that both men had died in the decades since the crime occurred, thereby precluding any further investigative steps regarding their involvement. Prosecutors clarified that while DNA was present, forensic testing could not distinguish between the two brothers, leaving insufficient evidence to pursue charges against either Mayfield, who were treated primarily as witnesses.
While the death of the primary suspect prevents a formal criminal trial, state officials emphasized the importance of completing the investigation for the sake of truth and historical accountability. The resolution delivers answers to a violent mystery that remained unsolved in Maricopa County for nearly four decades.
"Because the suspect is deceased, there will be no trial. No one will be held to account in a courtroom for what was done to Jim Chafin," Mayes stated during the public briefing. "I understand that is not the ending anyone would choose. But for the first time in 39 years, we can be reasonably certain about what happened to Jim Chafin."
Mayes acknowledged that long-dormant cases inherently retain lingering ambiguities, but maintained that the state's findings firmly establish responsibility. "When you have a case that is four decades old, there will still be mysteries surrounding it," Mayes remarked. "All questions will not be answered, but we believe we have enough to lay this blame at Billups' feet."
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