Dateline: Unforgettable: Where is Helene Pruszynski's killer James Clanton today?

A Florida man named James Clanton was arrested in connection with the 40-year-old cold case of Helene Pruszynski, a 21-year-old journalism intern who was kidnapped, brutally r*ped, and stabbed to death in Denver, Colorado, in January 1980. The day after Helene went missing, her body was discovered in a Douglas County field, which is now Highlands Ranch, in a grisly crime scene.

The DNA evidence obtained during the investigation would lead authorities to a suspect four decades later, owing to advancements in technology and a genealogy database. Clanton was arrested in 2019 after his DNA proved to be a perfect match to the one found at the scene. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He is reportedly still serving his life sentence at a Colorado corrections facility.

Dateline: Unforgettable is scheduled to revisit Helene Pruszynski's case and the circumstances under which authorities were finally able to bring James Clanton to justice. The upcoming episode, titled A Promise to Helene, airs this Tuesday, November 8, at 8 pm ET on Oxygen.

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James Clanton reportedly murdered 21-year-old Helene Pruszynski shortly after release from prison

After serving a four-year jail sentence for rape, James Clanton, formerly known as Curtis White, was released on parole on January 16, 1980. He was expected to move into the house of a former counselor, who promised to aid him, in suburban Denver. James kidnapped Helene Pruszynski that evening as she walked from the bus stop to her aunt's house in Englewood after work.

Clanton took Pruszynski to a field in Douglas County, tied her hands behind her back, and brutally r*ped her before stabbing her to death in the back. Authorities discovered the victim's body the very following day in the afternoon and informed her concerned friends and family. The case subsequently went cold when cops could not identify a culprit. All evidence from the scene, however, was carefully secured.

Despite having a male DNA sample that was taken from Helene's body and clothes at the time, there was no solid lead until the cold case was re-opened in 2017. Using forensic genealogy, investigators made a breakthrough in the case, finally locating James, who was residing in Lake Butler, Florida, at the time.

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Investigators arrested James Clanton after secretly extracting his DNA from a beer mug

Investigators discreetly collected his DNA from a beer mug in late November 2019, after keeping tabs on him for about two years, and it proved to be a perfect match to the one found all those years ago. On December 11, James was arrested in Florida in connection with Helene's rape and murder. He waived extradition, and during the extradition process from Florida to Colorado, he confessed to her r*pe and murder.

James Clanton entered a guilty plea to one count of first-degree murder in court in February 2020, after what turned out to be a very brief trial. Although he was also accused of r*ping Helene, he was not charged with s*xual assault due to an expired statute of limitations.

The 63-year-old was ultimately found guilty of the murder charge in April 2020, and given a life sentence. According to reports, he continues to serve time at the Bent County Correctional Facility in Las Animas, Colorado.

Although first-degree murder today carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole, James was convicted in accordance with the laws in effect in 1980, and will thus be eligible for parole in January 2040.

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Oxygen's Dateline: Unforgettable airs on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET.