Summary
A man named James Oliver Unick was convicted of murdering 13-year-old Sarah Geer in California, solving a 44-year-old cold case using DNA evidence. Investigators matched DNA from a cigarette to evidence from the crime scene, leading to Unick's conviction.
Key Facts
- James Oliver Unick, 64, was convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Sarah Geer in Cloverdale, California.
- The crime occurred in 1982, but the case went unsolved for decades because of limited forensic technology at the time.
- In 2003, a DNA profile was created from evidence found on Geer's clothing, but it didn't match anyone in existing law enforcement databases.
- In 2021, a private investigator and the FBI helped identify Unick by matching his DNA from a discarded cigarette to the DNA profile from the crime.
- Unick was arrested in July 2024 and claimed to have no recollection of the crime, initially denying involvement.
- A Sonoma County jury found Unick guilty, and he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
- This case is noted as the coldest ever prosecuted before a Sonoma County jury, highlighting advances in DNA technology that helped solve it.
- Unick is set to appear in court again on April 23 for sentencing.
