DA: DNA from fingernails helped solve 1988 cold case killing

May 17, 2022, 1:04 PM | Updated: 1:21 pm

GALT, Calif. (AP) — A suspect in a 1988 sexual assault and killing of a 79-year-old woman in a small Northern California community has been identified thanks to advanced DNA testing done on scrapings from the victim’s fingernails, authorities said Tuesday.

Terry Leroy Bramble was 32 years old when he sexually assaulted, stabbed and strangled Lucille Hultgren inside her home, Galt Police Chief Brian Kalinowski said.

Bramble was homeless and a registered sex offender when he died in 2011 of natural causes while living under a bridge on Highway 99 in Galt, Kalinowski said.

Bramble’s DNA, collected during a 1992 sexual assault conviction in San Joaquin County, matched DNA found in fingernail scrapings collected from Hultgren’s body, helping detectives solve the 34-year-old cold case, said Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert.

“The fingernail scrapings became the key to solving this case,” she said.

Schubert said DNA testing has advanced so much that a very small amount of genetic material is needed to get a DNA profile.

In the past, a DNA sample had to be the size of a quarter to be able to get a profile, but “now it’s less than a billionth of a size of a Sweet’n Low package,” Schubert said.

On May 23, 1988, two friends who had gone to Hultgren’s home to check on her after she didn’t attend church the day before found her dead in her bedroom and called police, Kalinowski said.

A mother of two adult children, Hultgren lived alone after her husband’s death the previous year, Kalinowski said.

The coroner at that time said Hultgren had died two to five days before her body was discovered and that the cause of death was stab wounds to the chest and strangulation, Kalinowski said.

Hultgren’s killing was the only cold case in the town of 25,000 people 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Sacramento, authorities said.

Authorities said the motive for Hultgren’s killing is still unknown.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

This photo provided by Robert Wilkes, owner of a house boat management company, shows smoke rising ...

Associated Press

Houseboats catch fire while docked at Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell

More than half a dozen house boats momentarily caught fire at a popular boating destination on the Utah-Arizona line on Friday.

21 hours ago

File - Women work in a restaurant kitchen in Chicago, Thursday, March 23, 2023. On Friday, the U.S....

Associated Press

US hiring, unemployment jump in May and what that says about the economy

The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations.

21 hours ago

(Pixabay Photo)...

Associated Press

Oath Keeper from Arizona sentenced for role in Jan. 6 riot at US Capitol

Edward Vallejo, a U.S. Army veteran from Phoenix, oversaw a “Quick Reaction Force” at a Virginia hotel that was prepared to deploy an arsenal of weapons into Washington if needed, authorities say.

2 days ago

FILE - U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz listens during a news conference, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washi...

Associated Press

US Border Patrol chief is retiring after seeing through end of Title 42 immigration restrictions

The head of the U.S. Border Patrol announced Tuesday that he was retiring, after seeing through a major policy shift that seeks to clamp down on illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border following the end of Title 42 pandemic restrictions.

3 days ago

FILE - President Joe Biden talks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., on the House steps as...

Associated Press

House OKs debt ceiling bill to avoid default, sends Biden-McCarthy deal to Senate

The House approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package late Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy assembled a bipartisan coalition of centrist Democrats and Republicans against fierce conservative blowback and progressive dissent.

3 days ago

Sean Bickings (Family Photo via city of Tempe)...

Associated Press

Family of man who drowned last year in Tempe Town Lake files wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a man who drowned in Tempe Town Lake a year ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city Wednesday, noting that its police department doesn't have a policy requiring officers to go into the water to save someone.

3 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Spinal fusion surgery has come a long way, despite misconceptions

As Dr. Justin Field of the Desert Institute for Spine Care explained, “we've come a long way over the last couple of decades.”

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

DA: DNA from fingernails helped solve 1988 cold case killing