Steven Downs sentenced to 75 years in prison for 1993 rape and murder of Sophie Sergie at Alaska college dorm

A man convicted in a rape and murder at a University of Alaska Fairbanks dormitory that went unsolved for more than two decades was sentenced to 75 years in prison in Alaska. Steven Downs, of Auburn, Maine, declined to address the courtroom before the just imposed the sentence Monday.

The killing of 20-year-old Sophie Sergie in 1993 stymied investigators until a DNA match using genetic genealogy tracing led them to Downs, who was arrested in 2019 in Maine. Downs was a UAF freshman in 1993 and lived in the dorm where Sergie was found dead.

The defense contended any sentence greater than 20 years would be a life sentence because of Downs' health. He exceeds 400 pounds and has high blood pressure, his attorney said.