Jerry Dewayne Robison was identified on October 17, 2022 as the lead suspect in the March 21, 1994 rape and murder of 72-year-old Claire (Kay) Holman in Borrego Springs, California. The case has been cleared by exception due to the death of Robison.
Holman’s body was found by a friend who had come to deliver her mail. An autopsy determined that she had been sexually assaulted, and that she died from a ligature strangulation. The home was ransacked, but there was no evidence of forcible entry, leading investigators to believe that Holman may have known her killer.
A DNA profile of the suspect was first created in 2003, but there were no hits in CODIS. A new DNA profile was obtained from a strand of hair in March of 2021. There is currently no information on who performed the FGG investigation, but reports indicate that much of the genealogical work was done by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
Robison passed away from cancer in 2007 at the age of 65. He was living and working as a plumber in Borrego Springs at the time of the murder. Investigators believe that he may occasionally have worked for Holman.
Sources:
Hernandez, David. “Jerry Dewayne Robison was Identified as the Suspect in the Killing of 72-Year-Old Claire “Kay” Holman.” San Diego Union-Tribune, October 17, 2022. Accessed October 21, 2022. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2022-10-17/almost-three-decades-after-borrego-spring-killing-genetic-genealogy-leads-to-suspect.
Ireland, Elizabeth. “Cold Case Closed: Family Tree Helps Solve 1994 Borrego Springs Murder.” Times of San Diego, October 17, 2022. Accessed October 21, 2022. https://timesofsandiego.com/crime/2022/10/17/cold-case-closed-family-tree-helps-solve-1994-borrego-springs-murder/.
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. “Cold Case Solved – Borrego Springs.” San Diego County Sheriff’s Department (Press Release), October 17, 2022. Accessed October 21, 2022. https://www.sdsheriff.gov/Home/Components/News/News/1565/.