The Story of William Cosden Jr.: From Conviction to Controversy in Seattle’s Murder History

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Well now, let me tell ya a bit about this fella, William Cosden Jr. If ya ain’t heard of him before, he ain’t exactly the most pleasant name in town. He was a man who got himself wrapped up in some serious trouble, and not just any kind of trouble, but a real dark one, with a murder that stayed unsolved for many years.

William Cosden Jr. was born way back in 1950-something, but most folks didn’t really pay him much mind back then. He lived a simple life, like many folks do, just workin’ hard and tryin’ to make ends meet. But little did anyone know, he was gonna be involved in somethin’ that would haunt him and the community for a long time.

Now, this all started way back in 1973, when a young teenager from the Seattle area was killed. It wasn’t a regular sort of murder either—this was a real mystery. The poor young soul, named Devine, had his life cut short, and for many, many years, nobody knew who did it. It was a case that got cold as a stone and stayed that way for decades.

The Story of William Cosden Jr.: From Conviction to Controversy in Seattle's Murder History

For years, the police worked hard to try and figure out who was behind it, but they just couldn’t crack it. Sometimes, when a case goes cold like that, it feels like it might never get solved, and people start to wonder if the truth will ever come to light. But then, something changed—new technology came along. Yep, the science of DNA testing, which wasn’t around back when the crime happened, was now available and could offer new hope.

Now, it wasn’t till the year 2000s, when the case came back to life, that the real twist in this story started to show itself. You see, with these new DNA tests, they managed to match the evidence from the crime scene to none other than William Cosden Jr. himself. Yes, sir, after all these years, they finally got their man.

In 2019, after the DNA test results came through, the prosecutors and the folks in charge gathered up all the evidence and told the world: it was William Cosden Jr. who had killed that poor teenager all those years ago. The man was now 55 years old, but it didn’t matter. The jury at Thurston County Superior Court was convinced, and after a couple of days of deliberating, they convicted him of first-degree murder.

Now, I ain’t sayin’ he wasn’t guilty, but you do have to wonder how someone could live with that kind of weight on their shoulders for all those years. I reckon that’s something we’ll never really know. Some folks might say that justice was served, while others might wonder if he’d gone and changed his ways all them years, but one thing’s for sure: the truth came out, no matter how long it took.

It’s a sad story all around, isn’t it? A young life taken away, and then so much time passed before the killer was finally brought to justice. And for Cosden, well, it seems like he’ll spend the rest of his days payin’ for what he did all those years ago. It’s a reminder that sometimes, even when you think things are forgotten, the truth has a funny way of coming back to you.

So, there you have it. William Cosden Jr., a man who lived most of his life free, only to have his past catch up with him in the end. A story of mystery, DNA, and the long wait for justice. I suppose it’s one of them stories that shows how sometimes the truth just can’t be kept down forever.

Tags:[William Cosden Jr., Biography, Murder Case, DNA Testing, Seattle, Thurston County, Justice, Cold Case, Conviction, True Crime]