BOZEMAN — For the last 40 years, Ruby Burney has been asking herself a question: Why? Why was her 23-year-old brother Randy Church murdered in Bozeman?
Ruby recalls hearing the news after receiving a phone call from her mother: “(My mom) told me, and I don’t know why, but the first thing out of my mouth was ‘What do we do now?’ I will never, ever forget that day.”
VIDEO: The Unsolved Murder of Randy Church
Randy, originally from Havre, was closing down the Pizza Hut in Bozeman when someone shot and killed him in February of 1985. It was a Saturday night. Randy was alone. According to police reports, his body was discovered at 9:30 the next morning when a manager was called to unlock the door. Randy was supposed to meet another employee at 9 a.m. but he never showed.
Richard and Darlene Church, Randy’s parents, died never knowing what happened to their son. At the time of the murder, he was excelling as an engineering student at MSU. The semester prior he held a 3.4 GPA. He loved motorcycles, rafting, and electronics. Family and friends describe him as someone with a heart of gold, and his siblings say he had a real zest for life.
“Randy was very meticulous about the closing of Pizza Hut -- he cleaned everything, deep cleaned everything, and very meticulous about the books,” said Detective Spencer Jenkins of the Bozeman Police Department.
"I talked to the detective, the new detective: he's awesome. We made a deal that we would talk every three months, and he has stuck to that. He may not be able to tell me much, but he does at least let me know that they are still working on it," Ruby said.
Ruby emphasizes the importance of keeping what is now Bozeman’s only cold case at the top of people’s minds because: ‘somebody knows something somewhere’.
“Back in the day, you might have been scared to say anything. Back in the day, you may have been friends with this guy – chances are you probably aren’t now. So if you know something, come forward,” Ruby said.
Along with keeping the case in the forefront of people’s minds, Ruby wants to keep Randy’s memory alive.
“What a remarkable man he was. He’d give you the shirt off his back if he could help in any way. He was there to help,” Ruby said.
There is still a reward for information leading to an offender. The tip line is 406-582-2025, or you can email coldcasetips@bozeman.net.
WATCH: Family of Murdered Bozeman Student Calls for Justice Nearly 37 Years After Tragedy
WATCH: "What was so important that you had to kill him?"
