65-year-old man charged in connection to 1992 cold case rape and murder

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A 65-year-old man has been charged to a 1992 cold case rape and murder, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office announced. Ricky Dawson was serving a life sentence in Colorado in connection to a separate 1996 sexual assault murder in Denver, the DA said.

He was arraigned in connection to the SF case on July 20 and pleaded not guilty to all charges, denying the allegations. Dawson is charged with murder with a special circumstance of a prior murder conviction for a 2004 Florida conviction of sexual assault murder, a special circumstance allegation of rape, and a special circumstance allegation of sodomy, the DA said.

Dawson remains in custody and no bail has been set by the court. The DA moved to have him detained pending trial due to the public safety risk he poses.

According to court documents cited by the DA, San Francisco Police Department officers responded on May 2, 1992 at around 6:14 p.m. to Hang Ah Alley and Clay Street near 98 Hang Ah Alley in SF Chinatown.

At the scene, officers found a woman lying on the ground in a utility corridor. An autopsy of the victim revealed multiple traumatic injuries. The cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation.

Testing from swabs taken from the victim found DNA that matched Dawson’s. SFPD named Dawson as a suspect in January 2025. At the time, the victim in the case was identified as 45-year-old Nancy Hernandez.

Hernandez, investigators said, was an unhoused woman living in the alley. She was badly beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled, police said.

The DA said that although charges have been filed, the investigation remains active.

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