Terry Dean Hawkins was identified on June 14, 2021 as the lead suspect in the December 19, 1976 murder of 19-year-old Janet Stallcup in Garden Grove, California. The case has been cleared by exception due to the death of Hawkins.
Stallcup, a nursing student, was last seen that evening on her way to a friend’s house. Her body was found eight days later in the front seat of her own vehicle, which had been abandoned outside of an apartment complex in Garden Grove, only about 2 ½ miles from her own home. Stallcup had been sexually assaulted and strangled.
DNA profiles of a male suspect were obtained in 2002 from swabs taken at the crime scene, and again in 2020 from material collected at Stallcup’s autopsy. There is currently no data on who performed the FGG investigation.
Hawkins himself had passed away about a year after Stallcup’s murder at the age of 23. He is reported to have died of a drug overdose in jail in Orange County. He is reported to have a criminal record for indecent exposure, as well as weapons and drug offences. He had also been charged with the rape and murder of a 30-year-old woman in Laguna Hills, but those charges were dropped. He is buried not far from Stallcup in the Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Cypress, California.
Sources:
Edds, Kimberly. “Investigative Genetic Genealogy Solve 1976 Rape, Murder of 19-Year-Old Garden Grove Nursing Student.” Office of the District Attorney, Orange County, California (Press Release), July 14, 2021. Accessed July 17, 2021. http://orangecountyda.org/civica/press/display.asp?layout=15&Entry=6166.
Licas, Eric. “Suspect in Killing of Nursing Student in Garden Grove is ID’d 45 Years Later.” Orange County Register, July 14, 2021. Last Modified July 16, 2021. Accessed July 17, 2021. https://www.ocregister.com/2021/07/14/suspect-in-1976-killing-in-garden-grove-identified-with-dna-technology/.
Ludwig, Ashley. “Cold Case Murder of Janet Stallcup Solved 44 Years Later in OC.” Patch, July 14, 2021. Last Modified July 15, 2021. Accessed July 17, 2021. https://patch.com/california/losalamitos/who-killed-janet-stallcup-cold-case-garden-grove-murder-solved.