Man accused of 1984 Columbia rape, attempted murder could challenge arrest

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The man accused in a 1984 rape and attempted murder in Columbia could challenge his arrest, according to a North Carolina district attorney.

In October, the Columbia Police Department announced DNA findings connected 59-year-old James Wilson to the crime. Wilson is held in the Iredell County Jail on a $1 million bond after his arrest in North Carolina.

Investigators said the crime happened in the 4000 block of Wellington Drive in northeast Columbia. Wilson is accused of sexually assaulting the victim and slashing her throat with a pocket knife.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation helped crack the case after investigators grabbed a disposable razor with hair in the blades from Wilson's trash.

The DNA sample collected from the razor matched Wilson's profile from the rape kit.

If Wilson wants to test the legality of his arrest, a North Carolina judge set a deadline for Wilson to apply for a writ of habeas corpus no later than Friday at 5 p.m.

According to the U.S. Marshal's Service, a writ of habeas corpus allows a person charged with a crime to explain concerns about their before a court.