An Oshawa man has been arrested and charged with the 1974 murder of his neighbour, more than a year after similar charges against him were dropped in the same case.
Alan Smith, 58, was charged Thursday with first-degree murder in connection with the slaying of 22-year-old Beverly Smith (no relation.)
The arrest came days after the 35th anniversary of the woman's murder.
The suspect was arrested in March, 2008 and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the case but the charges were withdrawn months later after the Crown attorney concluded there was "no reasonable prospect of conviction."
Durham police did not say what led them to arrest Smith for a second time or what new evidence led to the upgraded charge.
Smith appeared in court Friday and was remanded in custody.
When he was released from custody in July 2008, he proclaimed his innocence in a brief statement to reporters.
"I did not murder Beverly Smith," he said outside the Durham-region courthouse.
Investigators said at the time they charged their key witness - Smith's ex-wife - with obstruction of justice.
Beverly Smith was inside her home in Raglan, Ont. on Dec. 9, 1974 when she was shot in the back of the head. Her baby daughter slept in the next room and was not injured by the shooter.
The murder is Durham region's oldest cold case. Investigators reopened the case early in 2008.
The slain woman's family has not made any public comments about the recent arrest.
