Suspect in 1972 Waikiki cold case murder pleads not guilty

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The suspect in a 1972 Waikiki cold case murder pleaded not guilty in court Thursday morning.

Tudor Chirila, 77, pleaded not guilty to charges of first- and second-degree murder during an arraignment in First Circuit Court as he appeared virtually from Oahu Community Correctional Center.

The former deputy Nevada attorney general is accused of fatally stabbing 19-year-old Nancy Anderson in her Waikiki apartment 50 years ago.

On Jan. 7, 1972, Nancy Anderson was found unresponsive in her apartment, located at 2222 Aloha Drive in Waikiki. Nancy had been stabbed multiple times and died at the scene.

In a criminal complaint accusing Chirila of second-degree murder, Honolulu police said DNA evidence linked him to the fatal stabbing of 19-year-old Nancy Anderson.

Chirila was extradited to Honolulu from Reno, Nevada, after being held in the Washoe County Jail without bail on a charge of being a fugitive from another state.

His bail has been set at $1 million.

His trial is set to begin Feb. 6, 2023.