DNA Evidence Implicates Man in 1978 Murder

California Gov. Gray Davis last week issued the following statement regarding new DNA evidence resulting in a suspect being identified in the 1978 rape and murder of 20-year-old Sharon Wilcoxson of Sacramento:

"We are accomplishing just what I envisioned with this program," Governor Davis said. "We are solving outstanding violent crimes with the most advanced technology available and keeping violent predators where they belong - behind bars."

Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully announced that the Sacramento County Crime Lab's Cold Hit Program - funded by Governor Davis - determined that DNA evidence left behind 23-years ago at the murder scene of Sharon Wilcoxson has been analyzed and found to contain Willie B. Thomas' unique biological markers. Thomas is currently serving a life term in the California Department of Corrections for the murder of Avon Coates of Sacramento on January 8, 1981. The Sacramento County District Attorney's office now says Thomas has been charged with her murder.

"We are grateful for this program and to, 23 years later, have some resolution," said Linda Thompson, the victim's sister.

The California DNA Cold Hit Program began as a $50-million, three-year grant by Gov. Davis to solve suspectless sexual assault cases through use of the CAL-DNA Offender Identification Databank. The program began October 1, 2000 and to date has provided 55 cold hits. The program has also linked an additional 50 unknown suspects to more than one case.

When the DNA profile from an unsolved crime sample matches an offender in a databank, the result is a cold hit. If cases are mutually linked to one unknown perpetrator then that is reported as a case-to-case match.

It is anticipated that California's crime labs will examine evidence in as many as 23,000 unsolved cases over the course of the program and will send 15,000 DNA evidence profiles to CAL-DNA for searching.

"Heartless criminals who thought they would forever dodge prosecution had better think again," Governor Davis added. "Thanks to the California DNA Cold Hit program, many of today's unknown suspects will be the incarcerated inmates of tomorrow."