After 32 years, man pleads guilty in murder case

A man who allegedly shot and killed a woman in 1979 pleaded guilty to the crime Friday afternoon, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

The SCSO said 58-year-old Gregory Johnson fatally shot Susan Schwartz, who was 26 years old at the time, in her home near the 22800 block of Locust Way in Alderwood Manor. Johnson was also 26 years old at the time of the murder.

Detectives from the sheriff’s office and a cold case team investigated the murder, and identified Johnson as a possible suspect early in the investigation.

According to the SCSO, Schwartz was featured on the queen of hearts in decks of playing cards used by detectives to generate tips on unsolved investigations. In 2008, the decks of cards were released to several venues including jails and prisons. In March 2011, detectives received a tip from an inmate that led to Johnson. In April 2011, detectives tracked down an eyewitness to the murder and shortly after, Johnson was arrested outside of his Seattle-area home.

The SCSO said, Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on Mar. 23 at 1 p.m. in the Snohomish County Superior Court.