Episode 14: Cold Case: Examining the Late 1970s Rape And Murder of Sharon Wilcoxson (Pt. 2)
Description: Examination of the late 1970s cold case rape/murder of Sharon Wilcoxson that unfolded over 30 years. Guests are Sharon’s sister, DA Anne Marie Schubert, a DA investigator and two retired law enforcement investigators who worked the case.
Show Notes: Twenty-year-old Sharon Wilcoxson was raped and murdered in the late 1970s in Carmichael, CA. Sharon’s sister, Linda Thompson, tells us about Sharon – what she was like growing up and as a young woman. Linda recounts how and when she and her family learned of Sharon’s death, and what the initial impact was on her and her family over the days and weeks that followed.
Retired Sacramento County Sheriff’s Detective Ray Biondi takes listeners back to that night, walking through the crime scene. He talks about the initial suspect he believed killed Sharon, and the challenges he faced in finding enough evidence to make an arrest. There was also a 1981 murder that ended-up being connected to Sharon’s case.
Then, the case is handed to the District Attorney’s new Cold Case Unit, headed up by now District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert. Anne Marie explains when and why she created the new unit, why it’s so important for cases like Sharon’s and what made her choose this case as one of the first cases the Cold Case Unit pursued. DA Investigator Ron Garverick talks about joining the DA’s Cold Case Unit talks through the process and timeline of his investigation– what the investigation involved, what was revealed during the investigation and challenges he faced. Anne Marie talks through preparing the case and the result.
Linda shares her thoughts on the use of DNA technology in her sister’s case, and what it provided her family. Anne Marie, Ray and Ron reflect on what stuck with them about Sharon’s case, and lasting changes or advances came out of their pursuit of justice for Sharon and her family. Linda closes with how she and her family are doing today and what she wants listeners to know most about Sharon.
Pictured: Sharon Wilcoxson
Books Written by Ray Biondi: All His Father’s Sins: The Shocking Truth about California’s Most Gruesome Serial Killer & The Dracula Killer: The True Story of California’s Vampire Killer
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Tags – True Crime, District Attorney, Anne Marie Schubert, Justice Journal, Cold Cases, Cold Case Prosecutions, DNA, DNA Evidence, DNA Hit, Forensic Science Cold Case, Forensic DNA, Forensic Science, Sharon Wilcoxson, Pete Willover, Ray Biondi