By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch James Edward Mitchell, who got away with murder for 27 years after stabbing a Spanaway woman to death in 1993, has been ordered to spend that long plus another 10 years in prison for the stabbing death of a Spanaway woman in 1993. The 37-year sentence was handed down March 26 in Pierce County Superior following Mitchell's conviction the previous month by a jury on a charge of first-degree murder. Authorities say the killing of Linda Robinson was traced to Mitchell, now 52, after county Sheriff Department cold-case detectives and the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab in 2013 matched his DNA to blood that was found at the crime scene. Mitchell's DNA profile was on file with authorities as a result of several felony convictions in the early 2000s. After identifying him as the suspect, detectives located Mitchell in Florida, where he was living, and extradited him back to Washington. In his trial, Mitchell denied murdering Robinson. Authorities were unable to establish a motive for the murder, but they said Mitchell and Robinson grew up across the street from each other. On Feb. 6, 1993, Robinson's 7-year-old niece knocked on a neighbor's door and said her aunt was dead. The neighbor rushed to the apartment and saw Robinson lying on the kitchen floor, face down, covered in blood. Prosecutors said she was stabbed 10 times in her back, including a fatal wound to her lungs. She was holding a telephone handset, but the cord had been cut. In addition to the blood in the kitchen, police collected blood drops in Robinson's bedroom and bathroom. But detectives couldn't pinpoint any suspects in the case, and the investigation was suspended until the DNA evidence surfaced.
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