Robert Redford's Death Might Help Catch a Killer

Summary

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Podcast Summary:

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes Present — "Robert Redford's Death Might Help Catch a Killer"

Date: November 8, 2025
Hosts: Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

This episode revisits a 40-year-old cold case: the 1983 murder of Sid Wells, a University of Colorado Boulder student known for dating Hollywood legend Robert Redford’s daughter, Shauna Redford. The hosts discuss how renewed media attention—sparked by Robert Redford’s recent passing—could finally help bring his daughter's boyfriend's killer to justice. Through their conversation, Amy and T.J. unpack the overlooked story's Hollywood connections, investigative twists, and the emotional toll on those involved.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Murder and Its Hollywood Connection

• Background: On August 1, 1983, Sid Wells, a well-liked 22-year-old student, was found shot execution-style in his Boulder apartment, just weeks before his senior year.
• Redford's Personal Loss: Wells had been dating Shauna Redford for several years, vacationed with the family, and was considered like a son-in-law to Robert Redford. His murder deeply impacted Redford, who halted filming of "The Natural" to support his daughter.
• "I had no idea about this story before Redford's death. This was essentially a family member for Robert Redford." – Amy Robach [06:04, 11:05]

2. The Renewed Search and Strategic Timing

• FBI’s Move: The day after Robert Redford died (September 16), the FBI publicized a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the chief suspect—Thane Allen Smika—and released an updated age-progressed sketch.
• Purposeful Publicity: This was a deliberate move by authorities to leverage renewed public interest surrounding Redford, and to capitalize on media attention to revive the cold case.
• "It was a brilliant move because everybody was talking about Redford and suddenly, this old murder case was back in the headlines." – Amy Robach [05:21]

3. The Main Suspect: Thane Allen Smika

• Early Suspicion: Smika, Wells’ roommate, quickly became the prime suspect after police found inconsistencies in his alibi (claiming he went home for laundry and a perm, though both were available or already done), and because of suspicious behavior and evidence—including testimonies about confessions and cleaning bloody clothes.
• Legal Dead-Ends: Though arrested and brought before a grand jury in 1983, authorities declined to prosecute due to insufficient evidence. Smika vanished shortly after the investigation stalled in 1986 and hasn't been seen since.
• Modern Pursuits: In 2010, advancements (including DNA evidence and renewed witness statements) spurred another arrest warrant, but Smika remains missing.
• "He vanished in 1986. Authorities have been looking, but he’s never resurfaced." – T.J. Holmes [08:02]

4. The Aftermath for Robert Redford and His Family

• Personal Changes: Multiple sources and those close to Redford report he became withdrawn, fearful, and changed after Wells’ murder, going so far as to hire personal security for his daughter.
• Broader Impact: The pain and uncertainty affected his public presence and possibly his later career moves.
• Mother’s Perspective: Initially, Sid Wells’ mother worried Redford’s fame overshadowed her son, but later recognized the value of celebrity in keeping the case alive and in public focus.
• "She realized she needed Robert Redford—his celebrity was the only hope they had of getting enough attention to possibly get justice." – T.J. Holmes [26:05]

5. Challenges in Finding Smika

• Disappearance Details:
  • Last trace: His car, wiped clean of prints, found abandoned in Beverly Hills, Oct 1986.
  • Possible foreign escape: Smika allegedly told his parents to ready their passports to visit him after he left, further fueling theories he fled abroad.
  • No contact: Even Smika’s parents claim they’ve had no communication with him since he disappeared.
• Skepticism and Hope: Each time major media—48 Hours (1998), Redford’s death, new articles—covered the case, new tips surfaced, giving law enforcement and the Wells/Redford family hope.
• "You get tips, you get sightings, maybe one day you get the break you need." – T.J. Holmes [16:10]

6. Emotional Resonance & Reflection

• The episode closes with both hosts reflecting deeply on how crime and tragedy touch even the most seemingly insulated families, and how celebrity can be a double-edged sword in the quest for justice.
• "This shows the human side—no matter how rich or famous, tragedy changes you forever." – T.J. Holmes [28:45]
• "In death, Robert Redford might actually help bring his daughter's boyfriend's killer to justice, 40 years later." – Amy Robach [29:32]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On why this case is suddenly making headlines:
  • "It was a deliberate decision to use the death of Robert Redford to renew the effort to find this guy." – T.J. Holmes [04:49]
• On the main suspect's behavior:
  • "He said he went home for laundry and a perm. Turns out, they had laundry there and he already had a perm the week before. That got police suspicious." – T.J. Holmes [08:02]
• On family impact:
  • "Robert Redford reportedly paid for security for the family because they didn't know where the killer was and wanted to make sure they were safe." – Amy Robach [25:42]
• On the investigation's reality:
  • "Every time there’s renewed attention, tips come in. When the 48 Hours episode aired, they got sightings, but nothing panned out. Still, that’s how cases get solved." – T.J. Holmes [16:10]
• On the endurance of grief:
  • "No matter who you are, murder, death... they touch you in such a deep, traumatic way, you can’t recover oftentimes." – T.J. Holmes [28:45]
• On the enduring hope for justice:
  • "Because of this—in death—Robert Redford might actually help bring his daughter's boyfriend's killer to justice." – Amy Robach [29:32]

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Timeline of Important Segments

• [04:11]: Episode opens on the Sid Wells case and its renewed attention after Redford's death
• [05:21]: FBI launches a new reward campaign linked to Redford’s passing
• [06:04 – 08:02]: Discussion of the crime, relationship between Wells & Redford’s daughter, and prime suspect Thane Smika
• [09:47]: Modern DNA evidence and witness testimonies recapped
• [12:57]: Details about Smika’s disappearance and age-progressed sketch released
• [16:10]: The impact of fresh media attention/tips on potential case breakthroughs
• [23:19]: Recap after break—how the case changed Redford and reflections on celebrity grief
• [25:42]: How Sid’s mother reconciled Redford’s celebrity focus with justice for her son
• [28:45]: Reflections on trauma, human vulnerability, and Shawna’s later life

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Conclusion

Amy and T.J. deliver a nuanced, empathetic look at a decades-old murder mystery, spotlighting how Robert Redford’s recent death is reigniting attention and hope for resolution in a tragic case overlooked by many. They emphasize the transformative nature of loss, the complexities of leveraging celebrity, and the persistent hope that justice—even after 40 years—remains possible.

Future Watch: The hosts pledge ongoing coverage as the investigation progresses, signaling the real possibility that justice may—finally—be at hand.

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Transcript

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It feels like it's trying to divide people.

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[Amy Robach]

Hey there folks. It is Saturday, November 8, and the hunt is on for a killer for the killer who murdered a University of Colorado College student 40 plus years ago. But there is a renewed effort to find this killer because of the death of Hollywood legend Robert Redford. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and tj. I think robes a lot of people don't even know this connection. It's fascinating to hear, but a guy has been on the loose for 40 plus years. And after Robert Redford's death, there is a whole new effort to find this guy.

[T.J. Holmes]

That's right. Robert Redford died September 16th. The next day, the following day, the FBI announced in a social media post that it was offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Sid Wells murder suspect, the name Thane Allen Simka. And it was a deliberate decision to use the death of Robert Redford to renew the effort to find this guy who has been on the run since 1986.

[Amy Robach]

So what's the connection and who cares and why would Robert Redford care where? There is a connection here and it seems a little bit rogue, like it's you said it that way and I know you didn't mean it negatively. And the, the authorities don't either. They used his death well. It was a brilliant move because everybody's talking about. And it was talking about Robert Redford in this cold case of 40 plus years. Now there was attention on Robert Redford and his life and his background and his family and his daughter. And people started to make the connection and hear about this story that he has for 40 years been wanting to find the guy who killed his daughter's boyfriend when they were in college.

[T.J. Holmes]

That's right. So his daughter was dating Sid Wells.

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[T.J. Holmes]

He was 22 years old. This is such a. Just a tragic and sad and all murders are, but this one just seems so pointless. He was literally weeks away from beginning his senior year at the University of Colorado Boulder. And his daughter Shawna, this was her boyfriend for several years. They were both about to go into their senior year. But the murder happened on August 1, 1983 in his own apartment when his roommate found him shot execution style in the back of the head in his living room with a 22 gauge shotgun wound. That is what police had to go by. This was a kid who was well liked again, had a wonderful girlfriend and was close with Robert Redford and his family. And when news of this murder happened, Robert Redford was actually filming the Graduate at the time and he was in Buffalo, New York. And they actually stopped production of the movie so that Robert could fly to Boulder to be with his daughter and attend the funeral. And as you might imagine, that made national headlines.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah, and I've never heard this story before his death. Never. And we are doing a story about this is the point in why authorities did take advantage of this moment. They want to solve this crime. And why hasn't it been solved? Well, here's the thing folks. They believe they know who killed Sid Wells, the boyfriend of Robert Redford's daughter back in 1983. In fact, he was arrested and it went before a grand jury just a couple of months after the killing. But that person was. They. They refused at the time to file charges. The district attorney and then that suspect. What's the name again? Thane.

[T.J. Holmes]

His name is Thane Allen Smica Stain.

[Amy Robach]

Smica was a roommate of Sid Wells. Now they arrested him, charges not filed, robes. And that was in 1983. For the most part he been seen since.

[T.J. Holmes]

That is true. He basically. The grand jury refused to indict Smica in 1985 and according to the FBI, he vanished a year later. So as of 1986, he has not been seen. But this hasn't been the first renewal of an effort to. To try and find Smaika. And let's go over the evidence of this young man. So a note was found at the scene, at the apartment, and Smicah had written out a note saying, apparently writing it to Sid, that he had gone to visit his parents. So investigators immediately drove to Smika's home that evening or his mother's house that evening to tell him about the death. And they started to ask him, why are you back home? And he said, oh, I. I had to do some laundry and I needed to get a perm. That might sound silly, but part of the reason why they got suspicious is that turns out where they lived in Boulder had a laundry facility, and they found out he had gotten a perm the week before. So what he told them, the reasoning behind why he went to go visit his parents was not true. And so that's when they started looking into Smica and were concerned about his activities, his drug activities specifically.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. So again, people are innocent until proven guilty, but this is the guy, and it's always been the guy. He's the only person who, for the most part, fell under suspicion of authority. So they arrest him, they don't charge him. A new DA comes, I believe, around 2010 ish, around that area, who decides, you know what? I got enough evidence, and I'm going after this guy. Reissued an arrest Warrant. That was 13 or so years ago. 2010, 13 years ago. Ain't heard a peep from Thane Smica.

[T.J. Holmes]

Correct. And so, yes, they actually used modern DNA testing to try and specifically link Smica to the crime. And they also have a friend who has come out and said that Smica confessed to the murder after a night of drinking. They have another woman who told police that Smica's sister told her that she had to wash his bloody clothes that evening, the evening of the murder. So they have evidence now that they've been able to. To gather, and they want to then actually have him now face a jury of his peers. So in 2010, as you mentioned, they obtained a. An arrest warrant to try and find him. And that's when Robert Redford actually, and this is interesting, this was an article that was published by the reporter after Redford's death. But he talked about this now retired DA talked about how impactful it was to have Robert Redford call the police office and say, thank you, thank you for continuing to pay attention to this case. Thank you. For trying to solve this crime that has plagued me, my daughter. And there are folks who say Robert Redford was never the same after this murder. That he got quieter that he was. He was chilled and he was concerned even perhaps for the safety of his own daughter at that point. And he really did take a step back from his very public life after this murder.

[Amy Robach]

Again, these were. And again, this is something I didn't know, but his daughter Shawna, at the time, these folks had been together for years. He was a part of their family. He did vacations with them. He went to his. Their house and Sundance and. Right. Rode horses. I. I read as well in an article somebody who interviewed Sid Wells mom said Robert Rever actually flew, flew this kid to New York to meet Tom Brokaw. I mean this was. So this was a family member who know they might have been talking about marriage and going down that road. This was somebody who was essentially a family member who was murdered. This wasn't just some extension or some friend of his daughter. I cannot imagine how it didn't have an impact. And we think, I mean that movie, was it an he got his Oscar direct, Was it the Natural? I don't know where the Natural falls in history, but this is considered. If you start talking about Robert Redford, this is going to be one of the first two or three movies that comes out of somebody's mouth. And to think in the middle of putting together what is, I guess considered Hollywood history and royalty when it comes to filmmaking. He stopped in the middle of filming the Natural to go be with his daughter whose boyfriend had just been murdered. I had no idea.

[T.J. Holmes]

I didn't either.

[Amy Robach]

That's remarkable to hear that it is.

[T.J. Holmes]

And to hear about this murder and this mystery and this unsolved cold case that I didn't even know existed. So it was incredibly smart of the FBI taking it advantage. And yes, I. I'm glad you pointed that out. I wasn't meaning it in a negative.

[Amy Robach]

Way and they aren't either. No, you. I would say it again. They took advantage of the moment. Nothing wrong with that. And you should. We're trying to give justice to a family and absolutely that is what they should do in this moment. Again, Robert Redford died and I found out something from 40 years ago that I had no idea about and that there is somebody on the loose and they have a name. What this guy would be in his 60s.

[T.J. Holmes]

60S would be his age right now. And yes. So it's been effective that now there have been several news articles written about this Cold case that most of us haven't heard of. And the FBI Denver field office sharing that social media post they put on that new flyer that they've now released. And you can check it out if you go look onto their website. It's there. But they actually have a, you know, an age progressed drawing of what they think Smica might look like now and again, reiterating that they're offering that $10,000 for any information because they're just looking for one lead, one bit of information, because they, when they had that renewed effort back in 2010, they went back to his parents, they took their phones, they were looking for any kind of communication that may have been occurring between his parents and between Smica, and they could find none, which is really, really remarkable. Even his parents all the time claimed they did not know where he was once he left in 1986. They said they never saw him and they never heard from him again.

[Amy Robach]

Possible he's dead, I guess. I mean, I'm not necessarily old age. Who knows what could have happened. But you live to be 60 something. You could have medical issues, you could have gotten hit by a damn bus, have no idea. But the behavior or the. What his parents are saying suggest a guy who is actually on the run, who doesn't want to be found and.

[T.J. Holmes]

Who knows he's guilty. There's a reason why he never showed back up, there's a reason why he left, there's a reason why he's never resurfaced. And so a lot of people think that points to his guilt as well. Now, where could he be now? Well, we do know that according to the FBI, the last known trace of Smica was when his car, which had a stolen license plate and was actually scrubbed clean of fingerprints, was found abandoned in Beverly Hills in October of 1986. So that is the last known connection to Smica that police have been able to actually tangibly set their hands on 40 years ago.

[Amy Robach]

I don't know how people fall off the face of the earth, but he has apparently done so. Look, I don't. There are a lot of families out there who wish that their unsolved crime could get this kind of attention. And I get that. But they say this is a case that has never gone cold. This is a case that has remained active, but now there is a tension. And I don't mind that Robert Redford is being used this way or his death is being. Yeah, it sounds bad to say it that way, but to think that a guy 40 years ago, we haven't heard a trace of him 40 years ago. My question after you said that was, who's been looking for him? This type of actively, like, who has been. They are raising awareness of this somebody now, like, oh, that guy. I don't. I don't think it'll be long. I hope it will, because people keep writing articles and talking about this. But that was the thing that jumped to mind, is that how hard have they been looking for him? I think it had to be 40 years, man. But this is the time, this is the moment. I think they're gonna catch this guy.

[T.J. Holmes]

I love your positivity. I think that's incredible. And here's another thing. To your point, every time there's been some sort of renewed interest in this case, tips have come in. So there was a time when this actually was featured on 48 Hours, the CBS News program. That was back in 1998. They had a bunch of tips and sightings, police say, of Z. Micah from California and Mexico, but nothing actually ended up bearing fruit. But the point is, when you get tips and you get information and you can start following them down, maybe one of them leads you to this guy. And that's the hope in this case.

[Amy Robach]

Wait, what did you just say there? They. Wait, repeat that They've. Wait, repeat what you just said. Yeah, so part about they've the lead, they saw him somewhere. Have. Do they think. And you were looking into this A little more than I was. So my question, there is possible sightings or they. They think he was. They do think, in fact, positive sightings. They just didn't catch up with possible.

[T.J. Holmes]

Sightings and they didn't catch up with him. So that's what happened in 1998. And right around that same time, the parents of Smica were actually speaking to reporters. And they told. They told this reporter that Smica told them that he planned to flee and move to another country. So they knew he was leaving and they knew that his plans involved going to another country. And he even told them at that point, this may be the reason why, you know, you said he could be dead. This is interesting. He told his parents to get their passports ready so that they could come and see him once he had settled in. But then he never reached out afterwards. They never heard from him again.

[Amy Robach]

Again, innocent until proven guilty, but this is the only person they have been looking at for this crime. And quite frankly, it just doesn't look good. But still there is, they believe, a killer on the loose, and they do believe they have his name. Well, stay here, folks. It's almost unbelievable to think of what happened on that Colorado campus and how Robert Redford's daughter was involved in that. But like you said, Robes, this changed him. Many people believe forever Robert Redford. And only barely a year after this tragedy, that same daughter had another terrible scare. We'll explain. Stay here.

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[T.J. Holmes]

Lets be real.

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Here.

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[Amy Robach]

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[T.J. Holmes]

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[Amy Robach]

All right folks, welcome back to Amy and tj. The hunt is on for a killer. The killer of Sid Wells, a University of Colorado student. Do they say Colorado University? It's CU when we say it all the time. But the correct way do they not like to be called the University of Colorado.

[T.J. Holmes]

It's so funny because obviously my, if you, if you're a fan of this program, you know that my youngest daughter goes to. We just say Boulder. So. But yes, CU Boulder, but University of Colorado Boulder. I don't.

[Amy Robach]

What's officially the right. Okay. Apologies to you folks in Boulder. That's the correct way to do it. But yes, Robert Redford. His death has renewed an effort to find the killer of Sid Wells. Sid Wells was the boyfriend of Robert Redford's daughter when they were in school back in 1983. That murder happened on August 1st, execution style. And the person they believe killed Sid Wells has been on the run for 40 plus years. Arrested once, but but never formally charged. And now another arrest warrant has been issued for him. Robes. This was. We talked about you. And maybe you can talk about, elaborate a little more about how people say this really impacted Robert Redford who was at the top of his game certainly at that point. 1983 had certainly more work to do, but he was, he was, he was a Hollywood heavyweight at that time.

[T.J. Holmes]

He absolutely was. And yes, the Natural ended up becoming such a huge hit. But yes, he had just begun production on that film when this all went down. And those around him say there was something inside of him that got fearful. He kind of had this larger than life, just a life of the party kind of personality. And they say after this, when he came back from that funeral, he came back a changed man and he came back different. And he never really resumed that carefree version of himself before because suddenly now this, this was obviously an unbelievable tragedy to happen to anyone. But then to have it be unsolved to know that then this person who his friends, his family and police all believed killed Sid on the loose, you're looking over your shoulder, you're concerned for your safety, you're concerned for your daughter's safety, your family's safety. And he had that. There was just a chill that, that washed over him that never left him. And this was such an important part of his life. He wanted to do everything he could and police say he did. He offered anything and everything he could to try and help find this man once he escaped.

[Amy Robach]

You're talking about how fearful they were of somebody out there. Robert Redford reportedly paid for security for the family because they didn't know where the killer was and wanted to make sure they were safe. I mean, so I am learning now that yes, this was the boyfriend of his daughter. But the more I read up on it, this sound Like a family member of Robert Redford died. Yes.

[T.J. Holmes]

He considered him probably a son in law, a future son in law, at the very least. That's how serious these two were. And yeah, the pictures of the two of them are everywhere. They were such a sweet couple. And yes, his mother. The interview with Sid's mother, she's since passed, but just spoke so highly. She said at first she was upset. She thought that the Robert Redford connection was overshadowing the death and the murder of her son. And she was concerned that maybe people were too excited about Robert Redford's connection and not interested enough in actually solving the crime. But then she said she came to realize she needed Robert Redford and that his focus and that his celebrity actually drew attention to the case. And. And that was, she thought at that point. Yeah, the only hope they had of actually getting enough eyeballs. You see, we've seen this over the years, reporting crimes. Family members are desperate to get media to pay attention to their families, their loved one's story, whoever was killed, especially if there's someone on the loose or someone who hasn't faced justice, they are desperate to get the media to pay attention to their story. And this was an obvious way to do it. And she realized it eventually and was grateful for it.

[Amy Robach]

Yeah. I mean, and why not? And here we are again. And I really wonder what she'd have thought. We talked still about this being a family member. It was. There was. You probably saw the photo as well. But it was freaking adorable of them when they were freshmen. I think Sid Wells, his dad was in the military, so he had, you know, this sense of me, even if he wasn't going into the military. He. I think it was rotc, but he had some freshman first dance he had to go to and he needed a date. And that's when he asked Shawn Otavia's date. And lo and behold, they stayed together throughout all those years. This was a significant relationship. And I just had no idea about this story. But Robes, this same daughter. So this murder was in August of 1983. I think it was early summer 1984. His daughter was in a really serious car accident in which her car plunged into a river and she had to be pulled out. She escaped without very serious injuries. But the very next year. So to your. What you were saying about his daughter and how this changed him and how he lived in fear and, you know, he had to worry about his daughter. She was not in the home or nearby necessarily when the murder took place. But still, this is somebody that Close that violence that close to home and that close to somebody you love the way you would love your daughter. Then the very next year this happened. I can't imagine. I would like to go back and study him now to a certain degree at least his public life. And I bet you you very well could see a difference in him from 1982 to 1989. 90 he. I can't imagine how this one year changed this man.

[T.J. Holmes]

And you know what? It is a remarkable thing. I think a lot of us see celebrities and we think they, they live this charmed life or they don't deal with pain or tragedy or they're insulated from some of that by their celebrity and their money. No. And it's so this is just another glaring example of just the human side of all of us and that no matter who you are, murder, death, all, they touch you in such a deep, traumatic way, you can't recover oftentimes. And that's what it seems to have been the case with Robert Redford and, and Shawna. I didn't, I went and looked. She's married, she has two kids, she's living, she's a painter. Seems like she's lived a beautiful life. But I'm sure that pain and that not knowing and that emptiness is still there.

[Amy Robach]

And you know what? She's dealing with it again. She sees the what's in new. She sees the headlines. She knows what's happening. She just lost her dad. And this is a part of this story now. This will not be the last we hear of it. I just absolutely think because of this in death, Robert Redford might be helpful in solving a crime and giving a family justice they've been looking for for 40 plus years. So folks, we just wanted to hop on. This is one we're absolutely going to be following. So we always appreciate you spending some time here with us. So on behalf of Amy Robach, I'm T.J. holmes. We'll talk to you all real soon.

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