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Man Convicted In Cold Case Slaying Dies In Prison

HOLLAND (WWJ/AP) - A 61-year-old man who was sentenced to life in prison for the 1979 abduction, rape and slaying of a Hope College student has died.

Arthur Paiva died March 13 of respiratory failure at a prison hospital in Jackson, the state Corrections Department told MLive.com.

Janet Chandler was 23 when she disappeared in 1979 from her night clerk's job at the Blue Mill Inn in Holland, about 30 miles west of Grand Rapids. Her body was discovered the next day near a highway and the slaying became a cold case.

Paiva, Robery Lynch, James Nelson, Freddie Parker, Anthony Williams and Laurie Swank were convicted in 2007 of the murder. At least two of the men were security guards at an area plant. Swank was Chandler's co-worker.

Testimony during their trials indicated Paiva was the group's ringleader and was jealous because Chandler had sex with other guards but not him, according to MLive.com.

Janet Chandler's father, James, said he's not sorry that Paiva is now dead.

"I have no sympathy for him," he said.

As for the others convicted of his daughter's slaying: "They're never getting out," James Chandler said.

TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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