Sharron Eugene Gadlin, 48, was arrested and charged with the April 24, 1994, murder of 39-year-old Cheri Huss in Desert Hot Springs, California. Huss was found dead on the floor of her apartment by her parents. She had been bitten and died from multiple stab wounds. She had fought against her attacker, whose blood was also found at the crime scene. Investigators believe that she was killed sometime after 10:00 pm the evening before.
A DNA profile was obtained from saliva collected from a bite mark on Huss’ body. The profile matched the blood found in Huss’ home. There were no hits in CODIS to this DNA profile.
There is currently no information on who conducted the FGG investigation. Investigators obtained a warrant on February 14, 2022, to test Gadlin’s DNA against the DNA profile developed from the crime scene.
Gadlin is facing charges of first-degree murder in Riverside County. He lived in Thousand Palms around the time of the murder, which is about 12 miles from Huss’ home. Huss had told her parents shortly before her murder that someone was following her and calling her, and that she was afraid.
Gadlin has a minor criminal record for entering property, public intoxication, and DUI, all in 1999.
On March 25, 2022, Gadlin pleaded not guilty to all charges. He’s currently held at Smith Correctional Facility on a $1 million bond. The next court date is scheduled for March 24 2023.
Sources:
Albani-Burgio, Paul. “Gene Database Leads to Arrest of Gardena Man in 1994 Cold Case Killing in Desert Hot Springs.” Desert Sun, March 8, 2022. https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2022/03/08/1994-desert-hot-springs-cold-case-murder-gene-website-leads-arrest/9426574002/.
Bonvillian, Crystal. “DNA from Bite Mark Ties California Man to Woman’s Brutal 1994 Cold Case Murder.” WGAU News, March 10, 2022. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://www.wgauradio.com/news/trending/dna-bite-mark-ties-california-man-womans-brutal-1994-cold-case-murder/7Q3YZX5JOJAYHPP4465N3DBKQM/.
CBSLA Staff. “Gardena Man Arrested, Charged in 1994 Murder of Desert Hot Springs Mother Cheri Huss.” KCAL News 9, March 8, 2022. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2022/03/08/sharron-gadlin-arrested-charged-1994-murder-desert-hot-springs-mother-cheri-huss/.
Miller, Jax. “Bite Marks Left on the Body of a 1994 Murder Victim Lead to Arrest.” Oxygen, March 9, 2022. Accessed March 13, 2022. https://www.oxygen.com/crime-news/sharron-eugene-gadlin-arrested-for-1994-murder-of-cheri-huss.
Reyes, Jesus. “Gardena Man Pleads Not Guilty to 1994 Murder of Desert Hot Springs Woman.” KESQ, March 25, 2022. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://kesq.com/news/2022/03/25/gardena-man-pleads-not-quilty-to-1994-murder-of-desert-hot-springs-woman/.
Inmate Information System. “Sharron Eugene Gadlin.” Riverside Sheriff’s Office, 2022. Accessed January 13, 2023. https://jimspub.riversidesheriff.org/cgi-bin/iisinfo.acu?bkno=202208592G.