71-year-old man sentenced for 1980 cold case of teen found dead in California citrus grove
02/13/2026 8:00 pm PST
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) -- More than four decades after the body of an 18-year-old woman was found in a grapefruit grove, a man will spend 15 years to life behind bars after being convicted of second-degree murder in connection with her death.
KTLA reports Leonard Nash, 71, was arrested in 2020. After two trials, a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in November 2025. He began serving his sentence on Feb. 3.
On July 5, 1980, Michelle “Missy” Jones was found dead in a grapefruit grove, KTLA reports. Investigators say she had been sexually assaulted. Though detectives pursued several leads, the investigation stalled due to a lack of forensic technology and tools available.
Cpl. Kathryn Clark of the Fontana Police Department reopened the case, according to KTLA. She found Nash had reportedly dated one of Jones’ sisters in 1980, but he was never questioned. In 2019, after investigators processed autopsy evidence with technology that was not available in 1980, Clark located Nash in Las Vegas and obtained his DNA from items he discarded, KTLA reports.
He was arrested on Sept. 8, 2020, KTLA reported at the time.
According to KTLA, this is the oldest cold case in San Bernardino County to result in a conviction.
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