HELENA — Forty years ago, Carol and Richard Emineth were killed at the Mini Basket near East Helena. No one has been convicted of the murders. On Tuesday, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office said new DNA evidence is being tested in the case.
Sheriff Leo Dutton announced that they have submitted previously untested evidence for DNA testing. The items submitted are believed to have been dropped or used by the suspect.
(WATCH: Murder at the Mini Basket, update after 40 years)
The FBI and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation have assisted the sheriff's office on the homicide case over the years.
Modern DNA testing has progressed significantly in recent years. In 2018, two men accused of the killing of Donna Meagher were exonerated after DNA testing proved another man, David Nelson, matched DNA evidence that was found at the crime scene.
The Emineths co-owned and operated the Mini Basket Convenience Store in the 1980s. On January 19, 1986, the couple was attacked at the store.
A report from the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office at the time said it was believed two men entered the store, shot the Emineths and a customer, and then the men fled in a blue Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck.
First responders found Richard Emineth deceased in the parking lot, lying near a broken door. Carol Emineth was found unresponsive behind the counter with a gunshot wound to the head. She died from her injuries the following day.
Another man, Tom Ellison, had stopped at the Mini Basket to make a purchase and was shot twice shortly after exiting his vehicle. Despite his injuries, the 27-year-old made his way inside the building and used the phone in the business to call law enforcement for help.
In the following weeks, a Helena-area 16-year-old was arrested and accused of the murders. The teen was tried as an adult and acquitted of the charges in June 1986.
Anyone with information concerning the deaths of Caroll and Richard Emineth is asked to contact the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office at 406-447-8293. Anonymous tips can also be made to Helena Area Crime Stoppers at 406-443-2000.
Editor's note: This is a developing story.
