Executive Summary
- James Oliver Unick was convicted of the 1982 murder of 13-year-old Sarah Geer in Sonoma County.
- Investigators utilized forensic genetic genealogy and DNA from a discarded cigarette to link Unick to the crime.
- The case was reopened in 2021 after decades of stagnation following a 2003 DNA profile creation.
- Unick faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole after the jury rejected his defense of consensual contact.
A Sonoma County jury has convicted 64-year-old James Oliver Unick of first-degree murder in connection with the 1982 rape and strangulation of 13-year-old Sarah Geer, marking the resolution of the county’s oldest cold case through advanced DNA technology. According to the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, the verdict was delivered following a month-long trial where jurors deliberated for approximately two hours before rejecting the defendant’s testimony.
The incident dates back to May 23, 1982, when Geer disappeared while walking home from a friend’s house in Cloverdale, California. Prosecutors stated that Geer was approached in an alley, forcibly dragged behind a fence near an apartment building, and brutally assaulted before being strangled with her own shorts. Her body was discovered the following morning by a firefighter walking home, according to statements from the Cloverdale Police Department.
Despite an initial investigation, the case remained unsolved for decades due to the limited forensic capabilities available at the time. Prosecutors noted that a breakthrough occurred in 2003 when a criminalist with the California Department of Justice developed a DNA profile from evidence collected at the crime scene. However, no matches were found in law enforcement databases, causing the case to stagnate again until investigators reopened the file in 2021.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, the investigative team, including private investigator Kevin Cline and Cloverdale Detective Katie Vanoni, partnered with the FBI to utilize forensic genetic genealogy. This method, which couples DNA testing with traditional genealogical research, led the FBI to identify the source of the DNA as one of four brothers. Agents subsequently surveilled Unick and collected a discarded cigarette butt, which DNA analysis confirmed matched the profile from 1982 as well as DNA found on the victim’s clothing.
Unick was arrested in July 2024 at his home in Willows. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that contradicted Unick’s claim of a consensual encounter with the teenager. Unick testified that he had met Geer at an arcade and engaged in consensual sex, implying another individual was responsible for her death. The jury found Unick guilty of murder with a special circumstance related to sexual assault. Prosecutors indicated he faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, with a court appearance scheduled for April 23.
It is a fundamental principle of the legal system that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, a standard met in this instance by the jury’s verdict.
Judicial Closure and Forensic Impact
The conviction of James Oliver Unick highlights the transformative role of forensic genetic genealogy in modern criminal justice, demonstrating its capacity to resolve cases that have remained stagnant for decades. This verdict not only establishes legal accountability for a crime committed over 40 years ago but also illustrates the evolving capabilities of law enforcement to secure convictions in cold cases where traditional investigative leads had long been exhausted.
