Offender Record · OFF-2026-152
Randy Roth (photo from the Radford University biography)
Randy Randolph Roth
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'8"
Born
1954
Custody
Incarcerated
States
CA, WA, OR, ND, JP
Distinguishing featuresFractured cheekbone from Japanese fight-pipe incident in April 1974
Custody
Incarcerated at Stafford Creek Corrections Center · #245201
Custody record at the facility
Sentenced to 50 years in prison on June 21, 1992, currently incarcerated
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Randy Roth was convicted of the 1991 murder of his fourth wife, Cynthia Baumgartner Roth, and he was suspected of murdering his second wife, Janis Roth, in 1981, but was never tried. In 1992 he was sentenced to 50 years for first degree murder. He is currently serving at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jul 23, 1991, Lake Sammamish, Washington
First-degree murder
King County Sheriff's Office · King County Superior Court · Docket 31067-4-I · RCW 9A.32.030 · Arrested Oct 09, 1991 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 50 years (600 months)
On July 23, 1991, Cynthia Baumgartner Roth drowned in Lake Sammamish during an outing on an inflatable raft with her husband, Randy Roth. At the time of Cynthia's death, Roth was the beneficiary of $385,000 in insurance on Cynthia's life. According to Roth, Cynthia developed a leg cramp while swimming. While Roth was preparing to steady the raft so that Cynthia could climb in, a boat went by and its wake turned the raft over on top of her.
SourcesSTATE v. ROTH, No. 31067-4-I; Murder Trial Begins For Man Accused Of Drowning His Wife; Roth's Conviction, Sentence Upheld By State Appeals Court
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
1
Victims suspected
Active years
1981–1991
Victim profile
Partners or spouses, Family members, Young women
Stated motive
Financial gain
Range from home
local
Education
high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced, Widowed
Children
1
Military discharge
medical
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
King County Police Department · WA
Agency case 31067-4-I
Detectives Sue Peters and Randy Mullinax led investigation into Cynthia Roth's drowning death; arrested Roth on October 9, 1991
Source: Washington Court of Appeals
King County Sheriff's Office · WA
Agency case 31067-4-I
Charged with first-degree murder on July 23, 1991 per case record header
King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office · WA
Agency case 31067-4-I
Senior Deputy Prosecutors Marilyn Brenneman and Susan Storey prosecuted the murder trial in King County Superior Court, March-April 1992
Stafford Creek Corrections Center · WA
Prison facility in Aberdeen, Washington where Roth is incarcerated; operated by WADOC
King County Superior Court · WA
Agency case 31067-4-I
Trial venue for first-degree murder conviction; jury verdict April 22, 1992
Lynnwood Police Department · WA
Arrested Roth in February 1975 for burglary and robbery charges
Washington State Department of Corrections · WA
Administers custody of Roth at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) following 1992 conviction
Source: Washington State Department of Corrections, Wikipedia
Washington Court of Appeals, Division I · WA
Agency case 31067-4-I
Appellate review of Roth's conviction and sentence in 1994
Source: The Seattle Times
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CA
San Diego, California
Sep 1973 – Dec 1973 · Marine Corps Basic Training · marines
Camp Pendleton, California
Dec 1973 – Feb 1974 · Clerk school and typing training · marines
JP
Okinawa, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
Feb 1974 – Jul 1974 · Headquarters platoon clerk, Third Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment · marines
ND
Bismarck, North Dakota
approx. 1954 – 1957 · Birthplace
OR
Portland, Oregon
approx. Jan 1976 – Jan 1977 · Temporary residence with first wife
WA
Lynwood, Washington
approx. 1957 – 1977 · Childhood and early adult residence
Lynnwood, Washington
approx. Aug 1974 – 1977 · Gas station attendant, fiber glass factory worker
Mountlake Terrace, Washington
approx. 1977 – 1981 · Primary residence
Seattle, Washington
approx. Oct 1979 – Sep 1988 · Truck mechanic at Vitamilk dairy distributor, later Ford dealership
Misty Meadows, Washington
approx. 1984 – 1990 · Residence during 1980s
Seattle, Washington
approx. May 1990 – 1991 · Mechanic for Metro mass transit utility
South Forest Park, Washington
Aug 1990 – Sep 1990 · Moved into wife Cynthia's house with son Greg
Woodinville, Washington
Sep 1990 – Oct 1991 · House purchased with wife Cynthia
King, Washington
Oct 09, 1991 – Jun 21, 1992 · King County Jail during trial; transferred to Washington State Penitentiary
King, Washington
Oct 09, 1991 – Oct 09, 1991 · Arrested for investigation of first-degree murder
Walla Walla, Washington
approx. Sep 1992 – 2000 · Washington State Penitentiary
Aberdeen, Washington
approx. 2000 – present · Stafford Creek Corrections Center
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1976 green Ford Pinto – Janis Miranda's Pinto, stolen and recovered with engine missing
approx. 1981 – 1981
Shortly after the wedding, her Ford Pinto vanished and was later discovered in a field with its engine missing. She and Randy collected insurance money from the incident.
Timeline
Dec 26, 1954
Randy Roth was born on December 26, 1954, one of five children of Gordon and Lizabeth Roth.
1971
At age 16, Roth's parents divorced.
Jun 05, 1973
Roth graduated from Meadowdale High School.
Aug 25, 1973
Roth was accused of armed robbery at a tire store in Lynwood with $240 stolen.
Sep 1973
Roth entered Marine Corps basic training in San Diego.
Feb 1974
Roth was assigned to Okinawa with the Third Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment.
Apr 1974
Roth's hardship discharge request was not approved.
Jul 23, 1974
Discharge approved; Roth received a hardship discharge from the Marines.
Feb 1975
Roth and Donna Sanchez were arrested by Lynnwood Police for burglary and robbery charges.
Mar 1975
Roth pleaded guilty to burglary and received probation.
Aug 11, 1977
Roth's brother David murdered a woman.
Mar 1981
Randy Roth married Janis Miranda, a divorced single parent.
Mar 24, 1981
Janis's green 1976 Pinto was stolen from the house and insurance was collected.
Nov 07, 1981
A $100,000 life insurance policy on Janis Roth's life went into effect on November 7, 1981.
Nov 27, 1981
Janis Roth died from a 300-foot fall from Beacon Rock in Skamania County.
Nov 28, 1981
Randy called his insurance agent Darrell Lundquist to make an insurance claim.
Aug 03, 1990
Roth married his fourth wife, Cynthia Baumgartner, in the Chapel of the Bells in Reno, Nevada.
Jul 23, 1991
Cynthia Baumgartner Roth drowned in Lake Sammamish during an outing on an inflatable raft with her husband, Randy Roth.
Oct 09, 1991
Randy was arrested for investigation of 1st degree murder.
Jan 1992
Roth's trial began.
Mar 10, 1992
Roth's trial commenced on March 10, 1992.
Apr 22, 1992
The trial was submitted to the jury on April 22, and the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all three counts.
Jun 19, 1992
Roth was brought before Judge Sullivan for sentencing: 1 year for theft and 55 years for first-degree murder.
Sep 1992
Roth was imprisoned at Washington State Penitentiary and joined his younger brother Davy.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other government record · Washington State Department of Corrections ·
Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC)“Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC) is a Washington State Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Aberdeen, Washington.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Randy Roth“He was convicted of the 1991 murder of his fourth wife, Cynthia Baumgartner Roth, and he was suspected of murdering his second wife, Janis Roth, in 1981, but was never tried.”
News report · KUOW ·
A Pod Of Their Own: Washington State Prison Keeps Veterans Together“Color Guard: Michael Jefferies (front), James Bell, Randy Roth, Chadwick Kallebaugh, Andrew Wood (closest to camera). Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen, Washington.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Roth, Randy“Randy was arrested for investigation of 1st degree murder on 10-09-91 and convicted 04-22-92 of murder in the 1st degree”
News report · The Seattle Times ·
Roth's Conviction, Sentence Upheld By State Appeals Court“The state Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction and sentence of Randy Roth, who drowned his wife in Lake Sammamish to cash in on $385,000 in insurance.”
Court record · Washington Court of Appeals ·
STATE v. ROTH, No. 31067-4-I“On July 23, 1991, Cynthia Baumgartner Roth drowned in Lake Sammamish during an outing on an inflatable raft with her husband, Randy Roth.”
News report · Getty Images/Bromberger Hoover Photography ·
View of American auto mechanic and convicted felon Randy Roth in court for a trial“View of American auto mechanic and convicted felon Randy Roth in court for a trial, Seattle, Washington, early to mid 1992.”
News report · The Seattle Times ·
Murder Trial Begins For Man Accused Of Drowning His Wife“Roth, 37, of Bothell, is accused of drowning his fourth wife, Cynthia, in Lake Sammamish July 23 to collect $365,000 in insurance.”
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