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Jury Convicts James Oliver Unick in 1982 Killing of 13-Year-Old Sarah Geer

A genealogical DNA lead plus a discarded cigarette linked him to evidence preserved since 2003.

Overview

  • Unick will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Sonoma County district attorney.
  • The FBI’s analysis of familial genealogical databases narrowed the source of the crime-scene DNA to one of four brothers, including Unick.
  • Agents collected a discarded cigarette during surveillance that matched a 2003 DNA profile and DNA found on Geer’s clothing.
  • Cloverdale police revived the cold case in 2021 with help from private investigator Kevin Cline and the FBI.
  • Jurors deliberated for about two hours, rejecting Unick’s testimony that he had consensual sex with the 13-year-old before someone else killed her.