Convicted Felon Found Guilty In 1975 Murder Of Oklahoma Woman

On Friday, a jury has found a convicted felon guilty of the 1975 murder of an Oklahoma woman.

Thomas Levering, 63, has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Jerry Watson. The jury recommended a life sentence for Levering. A formal sentencing is set for 10:30 a.m. on October 27.

1/29/2013 Related Story: Convicted Felon Charged In 1975 Murder Of Oklahoma Woman

Watson was reported missing in 1975. Her body was discovered in a wooded area near Edmond Road and Rockwell two weeks after her disappearance. Detectives found Watson strangled with the nylon stockings she once wore.

Watson's sister contacted authorities in 2012 to see if there were any new developments in the case. Oklahoma County's Cold Case unit responded using science not available back in 1975. Prosecutors said investigators matched DNA evidence to Thomas Levering, a convicted rapist, who in the 70s abducted two young women from and near Crossroads mall.

Levering raped the women in the country and tied up the victims with panty hose, circumstances similar to those in Watson's case.

Court records show Watson also disappeared from Crossroads Mall and later found murdered in the country. 

Levering is currently serving eight life sentences for the rape cases from the 70s. He is also convicted in a rape case from 2011, a crime he committed while out of prison on parole.