SAN MATEO – A suspect has been arrested in connection with the brutal rape and attempted murder of a woman in San Mateo more than 30 years ago, authorities announced Thursday.
The suspect, identified as 55-year-old Manteca resident John Harris Jr., was arrested Wednesday near his workplace, said San Mateo police Chief Ed Barberini at a news conference.
Barberini said advances in DNA technology helped investigators finally crack the cold case.
“Submission after submission of DNA evidence led us to where we are today: the identification of our suspect,” Barberini said.
The rape and attempted murder occurred on the 3100 block of Casa De Campo about 4:15 a.m. on Feb. 4, 1989, police said in a news release. A male suspect entered the victim’s apartment as she slept alone in bed, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and entered her room. He then climbed into bed with the victim, held the knife to her throat, raped her, strangled her, stabbed her several times and cut her throat, just missing her external jugular vein.
The victim remained brave, fought back and convinced the suspect to leave, police said.
Investigators at the time interviewed a number of people, but not Harris, who lived in the same neighborhood, police said. Unable to identify the person responsible, investigators continued to periodically submit DNA for testing and received a match in December.
Following his arrest in Manteca, Harris was booked into San Mateo County jail on a charge of attempted murder. He is being held on $500,000 bail and may face other charges, police said.
The victim, who did not know Harris, welcomed news of his arrest, Barberini said.
“She’s lived 32 years with something that I can’t imagine,” he said. “While we’re announcing the arrest of a suspect in this case, our hearts and thoughts are with the victim.”
Barberini said the police department plans to reach out to law enforcement agencies in other locations Harris has resided over the past 32 years, including San Francisco, Alameda and San Joaquin counties, as well as Tucson, Arizona. At the time of his arrest, he was living in Manteca and working for a business that installs surveillance systems.
“It’s been 32 years,” Barberini said, “and should there be other victims out there, we want to know about it.”
Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department’s investigation bureau at 650-522-7650. Anonymous tips can be submitted at http://tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or 650-522-7676.
