(LAGRANGE) - An upcoming Steuben County trial has been canceled after a Quincy man pleaded guilty and was sentenced in a related LaGrange County cold case, according to the Herald Republican.
Court records show 62-year-old Ricky Devonne McLatcher pleaded guilty in LaGrange Superior Court to Class A felony criminal deviant conduct and Class B felony criminal confinement in connection with a 1986 abduction and sexual assault case.
The guilty plea ends plans for a separate April 27 trial that had been scheduled in Steuben Superior Court.
A judge on Friday sentenced McLatcher to a total of 42 years, with eight years suspended to probation. The sentence bars community corrections, work release and home detention. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim and must register as a sex offender for life.
The case dates back to October 23, 1986, when investigators say an adult woman stopped near Howe to remove an object from the roadway. Prosecutors say McLatcher abducted her, held her against her will near Howe where she was sexually assaulted, then took her to Orland where she was assaulted again.
Indiana State Police collected evidence from both scenes and preserved it for decades.
The break in the case came in 2023 when the nonprofit Season of Justice funded genetic genealogy testing through Parabon NanoLabs. Detectives used that work, along with Indiana State Police's Cold Case Team, to trace the DNA lineage, narrow the suspect list and ultimately identify McLatcher.
He was arrested by Michigan State Police in February 2025 after a warrant was issued.
The Herald Republican reports McLatcher was booked into the LaGrange County Jail Monday morning to begin serving what, because of his age, is effectively a life sentence.