Suspect held in student’s death in Reno

RENO -- Residents here breathed a collective sigh of relief Wednesday as word got out that a man was arrested and charged with killing Brianna Denison, a 19-year-old college student who had become like a member of their families.

"What? Someone has been arrested?" screamed Martha Moran, 42, as she walked into a sandwich shop. "I am so relieved."

"Oh, my god," said Shelby Silva after being told of the arrest. "We can feel safe again."

At a news conference, Reno Police Chief Michael Poehlman announced that his officers on Tuesday had arrested James Michael Biela as he went to pick up his 4-year-old son at a day care center.

Biela, a 27-year-old pipefitter and Marine veteran from Sparks who studied martial arts, had lived in the Reno area since 2002.

Denison's disappearance sparked a massive search in the neighborhood near the University of Nevada, Reno, the launching of new security steps on campus, several thousand tips called into Reno police, and a nationwide fundraiser to pay for new DNA testing equipment for the Washoe County Crime Lab.

That same lab confirmed at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday that DNA taken from Biela matched that found on Denison's clothing and the rear doorknob of the home near the UNR campus where she was abducted on Jan. 20.

"We have a direct match," crime lab worker Renee Romero said.

Earlier, crime lab employees had analyzed the DNA of Biela's son and found it closely related to that found on the clothing and doorknob.

Biela's longtime girlfriend, Carleen Harmon, had agreed to let police take the DNA sample from their son, police said.

Biela earlier this month denied his involvement in the crime, and refused to submit to a DNA test.

After his arrest, police secured a court order allowing them to take the sample.

Lauren Denison, Brianna's aunt, alternated between crying and expressing joy over the arrest.

"We are pleased this person is off the street and he can't hurt anyone else," she said.

Friends and the Denison family had set up a Web site called Bring Bri Justice in an effort to find the 5-foot, 98-pound woman's killer.

Denison was known for her "million-dollar smile and sparking blue eyes" and her "tremendous outgoing nature and compassion," according to the Web site.

Her mother called her Breezy because she reminded her of a "breath of fresh air on a cool summer day."

The young woman was a sophomore at Santa Barbara City College in California.

She was home for winter recess when she decided to party with friends and then stay overnight at a friend's home, where she later was abducted.

Poehlman said there is no evidence Biela knew Denison before the abduction.

Denison's disappearance frightened UNR students.

The college expanded its escort service to as late as 3 a.m. on weekends. The service includes use of a van to take students to their homes within two miles of campus.

A walking escort service also was launched, where students are met at campus buildings and walked home.

UNR Police Director Adam Garcia said he expects Biela's arrest will reduce fear on campus, but he advises students to remain cautious.

"We are hopeful that this nightmare has ended," Garcia said. "We would remind the community that the arrest of this one suspect should not give people a false sense of security."

Denison's body was discovered on Feb. 20 in a vacant field seven miles from the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Two pairs of petite-sized thong panties were found under one of her legs.

Washoe County District Attorney General Richard Gammick said he may seek the death penalty against Biela, although he first wants to consult with Denison's family.

In court filings, Reno Police Department Detective Dave Jenkins said Denison had been strangled to death on the day of her abduction.

Gammick said Biela will go before a judge on Monday and have the charges read against him.

"This is what I call 'home terrorism,' " Gammick said about Denison's abduction and slaying. "I intend to get the maximum sentence."

Biela will be charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and sexual assault.

He also will be charged with the sexual assault and kidnapping of another college-age woman, identified as "Hsiaotzu C," on Dec. 16 near the UNR campus.

In an interview with police, the woman said her assailant took her panties after he raped her.

Poehlman and other law enforcement officers were grim-faced as they announced the arrest in the most notorious crime of the year in Northern Nevada, but smiles showed through as they pointed out that a slaying suspect no longer will be on the streets.

"What a fantastic day," Gammick said.

"Brianna became everyone's daughter," said Washoe County Sheriff Mike Haley.

The sheriff told how thousands of people volunteered to search for her body after her abduction.

More than $300,000 was donated by people from as far away as Florida so new DNA equipment could be purchased to allow lab technicians to go through thousands of samples.

More than 2,200 tips on her disappearance were given to law enforcement authorities.

"DNA played an integral role in the solving of this case," Haley said. "The community really pulled together on this."

Poehlman said Biela, who has a minor criminal record, did not become a suspect until Nov. 1, when a tip was phoned to the Secret Witness program.

The call was from a friend of Carleen Harmon. She told police that Harmon had become suspicious of Biela when she went to Washington state in September to help him move back to Northern Nevada.

Biela had moved to Washington in March to take a new job.

According to the arrest warrant, Harmon discovered "some petite size women's thong style" panties in Biela's car. When she confronted him, Biela told her he had stolen them from a laundromat in Washington.

While Harmon did not contact police with her suspicions, her friend did.

In their investigation, police also learned that Biela sold a 2006 extended cab Toyota Tacoma pickup last March in Idaho.

After being assaulted in December, Hsiaotzu C had told police her rapist drove that type of pickup.

Police in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, have confiscated the vehicle.

Detectives will determine if rug fibers in the pickup match the fibers found on Hsiaotzu C's clothing, the Reno police chief said.

Reno police spokesman Steve Frady said Biela served in the Marine Corps but he could not provide more details.

Records show Biela was at Camp LeJeune, N.C., in 2000.

Gary Grate, of the Charles Graci Jiu Jitsu Academy in Reno, said Biela had trained at the martial arts center on and off for about year.

"It's been a long time, and he hasn't been in probably a year or close to that," Grate said.

Biela obtained a blue belt, one belt above beginner, Grate said.

He said no one at the academy, which is frequented by police officers, recalled anything suspicious about Biela.

"There was never abnormal behavior at all from anyone I can recall," he said.

Biela's father, Joe Biela, told the Reno Gazette-Journal he hasn't seen his son in years.

"I did not do this. He did. And now he's going to have to suffer for it," Joe Biela said. "The cops have evidence."

Biela remained in the Washoe County Jail without bond.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.