Suspect in 1976 murder in Aptos identified after nearly 50 years
APTOS, Calif. (KION-TV) -- After nearly 50 years, the murder of Karen Percifield of Aptos has been solved.
Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office identified the suspect as Richard Sommerhalder. They were seen as a person of interest in 1976, but not enough evidence to arrest him.
Yet, in September of 1976, he was arrested for two other murders in the county, serving eight and a half years in prison. He was paroled and moved out of state.
Despite Sommerhalder dying in 1994, detectives worked with the Department of Justice and Othram Laboratories to identify Sommerhalder via genealogy and familial DNA testing.
"Despite the passage of time and the death of the perpetrator, the closure that solving this murder brings to the Percifield family is incredibly important," Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell said in a statement.
Percifield's family spoke about the case and what it meant for them including her daughter: "To the detectives, and forensic team, I appreciate them not giving up. This has been weighing on me my whole life, not having a memory of my mom and just wondering who it could have been, this just means so much."
