The last living suspect in the murder of Kathy Lynn Gloddy said yesterday he wants everyone in his hometown of Franklin to know he did not rape, strangle and run over the teenager in the winter of 1971.

Contrary to claims from authorities, Kenneth Bonefant said he was nowhere near Gloddy, an athletic 13-year-old, when her badly beaten body was dumped on a dirt road only three miles from her family's Franklin home.

"I didn't even know her. I certainly didn't murder her," he said yesterday.

Instead, Bonefant said, he was going door-to-door in the area of Elkin, River and Franklin streets handing out campaign fliers for former mayor Gene Daniell.

Speaking publicly about the case for the first time, Bonefant said rumors of his involvement have haunted his family since Gloddy was found dead Nov. 22, 1971.

"I was nowheres near her house," he said.

Prosecutors will not say exactly what evidence they have linking Bonefant to the murder. At the time, he was 27 and working as a traveling salesman for Phillip Morris. He was seriously eyed by prosecutors after it was discovered he changed the tires on his car within hours or days of the murder. Yesterday, he said the old tires were worn down because of travel for work.

"Let me tell you, they didn't take care of the roads like they do today," he said. "I changed four tires this summer on my PT Cruiser, and there weren't any rumors."

The day after Gloddy was murdered, Bonefant said he was set to leave on a previously planned sales trip in the North Country. The forecast called for snow, he said.

"Timing is everything," he said. "How the hell would I know (about Gloddy's death)? My life and my living was in the car, and I wasn't about to take a chance."

Over the years, local, state and federal investigators have weeded through between 50 and 100 potential suspects in the case. Their efforts have been hampered by a lack of witnesses and the absence of DNA evidence. Throughout the investigation, Gloddy's family has pushed hard to find her true killer - or killers - with the hope it will bring closure.

Bonefant said he decided to speak about the case yesterday as Gloddy's family, prosecutors and state police investigators were to appear on an episode of 20/20 at 10 tonight. Bonefant also spoke to the ABC news show to respond to their allegations.

Bonefant asked yesterday why he would have stayed in the area for so many years if he was behind Gloddy's murder. Since her death, he said, he has volunteered to take care of people with special needs and has held a number of positions in community organizations, such as the Masons and Knights of Columbus. Bonefant, 66, now lives in Tilton and works as a self-employed upholsterer, he said.

"It's an unsolved case," he said. "I'm not going anywheres. I've been here for 39 years. I've always lived in Franklin, and I've always lived in Tilton, and I've never been back to the police station since."

Immediately after Gloddy's body was found, the police fanned out looking to find who could have raped and murdered a young tomboy who enjoyed playing sandlot baseball and kick the can.

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