Man accused of S. Tahoe murder awaits trial

Sacramento Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What is going on with the man/case who was arrested in Carmichael this year for a killing that took place 30 years ago in South Lake Tahoe?

Submitted by: George, Fair Oaks

ANSWER: Andrew Evan Sanford is in El Dorado County Jail awaiting trial in the death of 16-year-old Richard E. Swanson.

Swanson was killed Aug. 14, 1980, at what was then a Shell gas station at what is known as the Y intersection of Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Emerald Bay Road in South Lake Tahoe. He was working alone that night and was killed during a robbery.

According to a story in the Bee, Swanson’s head had been severely beaten and he was robbed of his wallet, which contained $190 in cash from his first paycheck at the station. In addition, $761.02 was reportedly taken from the gas station’s cash drawer.

Sanford, 51, a Carmichael resident, was arrested in March of this year. He has pleaded not guilty to the 32-year-old crime.