On October 3, 1974, a tragic event unfolded in the parking lot of the Oak Hills Recreation Center in Beaverton, Oregon, resulting in the murders of two teenagers, 16-year-old Donald Bartron and 18-year-old Peter Zito, Jr. Both victims were shot multiple times in the head with a. 22 caliber gun. This cold case remained unsolved for nearly 48 years, until a significant breakthrough in 2022.
The investigation into the murders was extensive and involved multiple agencies over the years.
Initially, in December 1974, a potential suspect was identified when then-Deputy Jim Spinden arrested a man named Steven Paul Criss for theft. During this arrest, Criss was found to have an illegally concealed. 22 caliber handgun in his car. Although the gun was returned to Criss after the theft case was concluded, it was noted that no ballistic match could be made between this gun and the murders at the time.
Steven Paul Criss, who later joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to Ft. Lewis in Washington, had a history of violent behavior. In 1976, he used the same. 22 caliber gun to murder his commanding officer, Sgt. Jacob “Kim” Brown, shooting him multiple times in the head. This murder was investigated by the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Criss pleaded guilty to this crime and was sentenced to 35 years in Fort Leavenworth, although he was paroled and released in 1988.
The case of the Oak Hills Recreation Center murders remained cold until 2022, when detectives from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, who handle cold case investigations, developed new leads. In 2022, ballistic evidence was submitted to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives which reported a presumptive match between the evidence from the 1976 murder and the 1974 murders. This match was later confirmed by the Oregon State Police Crime Lab, marking the oldest known comparison and match on a prosecutable case.
On November 2, 2022, Steven Paul Criss, now 65 years old and living in Aloha, Oregon, was arrested near his home in connection with the murders of Donald Bartron and Peter Zito, Jr. A Washington County grand jury subsequently indicted Criss for two counts of second-degree murder. Criss is currently being held in the Washington County Jail.
The resolution of this case also brought to light an earlier miscarriage of justice. Joseph Amir Wilson was arrested and charged with the murders just hours after they occurred but was later cleared of the charges in January 1975. The Sheriff's Office has formally apologized for Wilson's wrongful arrest, although they have been unable to locate any surviving family members to extend a personal apology, as Wilson passed away in 2000.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office, assisted by multiple agencies including the Oregon State Crime Lab, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, the ATF, and the CID, has expressed gratitude to the families of the victims for their unwavering devotion to seeking justice. The office is also investigating the possibility that Criss may have been responsible for additional homicides and is seeking any information about his activities since his release from prison in 1988.
