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The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said the investigation into Ricky Dawson still remains active
NEED TO KNOW
- Ricky Dawson was charged with the 1992 murder of Nancy Hernandez after DNA linked him to the cold case
- Authorities said they connected Dawson to three other sexual assault homicides across Florida, Washington, and Colorado
- Dawson, already serving a life sentence for a 1996 murder, pleaded not guilty to the new charges
California authorities have charged an alleged serial killer after connecting him to a decades-old cold case.
Ricky Dawson, 65, was charged with murder in connection with a 1992 cold case murder and rape, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced on Wednesday, July 22.
In January 2025, the San Francisco Police Department identified the victim as 45-year-old Nancy Hernandez.
The incident took place on May 2, 1992, with SFPD officers arriving at Hang Ah Alley to find Hernandez lying on the ground inside a utility corridor at approximately 6:14 p.m., local time, both agencies said.
Hernandez was an unhoused woman who had been using the alley as shelter, per the SFPD.
An investigation conducted by the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that she was beaten and strangled, as well as sexually assaulted, according to the SFPD.
It wasn’t until October 11, 2023, that the department’s Homicide Cold Case Unit reopened the case and compared it to DNA profiles in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
A warrant for Dawson’s arrest in connection with the death of Hernandez was issued on Jan. 2, 2025, according to police.
“No matter how old a case is, this is proof that we will never rest until a case is solved,” Chief Bill Scott of the SFPD said in a statement. “I want to thank our homicide and cold case investigators who have worked diligently on this case to bring justice to Ms. Hernandez and her family.”
Investigators found that Dawson was linked to three other sexual assault homicides in Panama Beach, Florida, Seattle, Washington, and Denver, Colorado.
He was arraigned on July 20 and pleaded not guilty to all charges, the D.A. said. The 65-year-old also denied the allegations against him.
Dawson is also linked to the 1996 sexual assault and strangulation murder of a Colorado woman named Terri Turachak, CBS News reported.
Investigators have also connected Dawson’s DNA to the 2000 cold case murder of Seattle resident Debbie Cashio, who was found with multiple blunt force trauma injuries and died by strangulation, per the news outlet.
He has not been charged in Cashio’s death.
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To be classified as a serial killer, the Federal Bureau of Investigation states that an individual must be responsible for the “unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s) in separate events.”
Before Dawson was charged in connection with Hernandez’s death, he was extradited from Colorado, where he was serving a life sentence in connection with a 1996 sexual assault murder in Denver, the D.A.’s office said.
Dawson’s next court date is scheduled for July 30, when he will appear for a preliminary hearing.
Although charges have been filed, this remains an active investigation.
Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or text a Tip to TIP411, and can remain anonymous.
Read the original article on People
