The California Department of Justice assisted with this case

“It took 44 years for the long arm of the law to catch up with this now convicted rapist and killer.  Scientists and technology offer more opportunity to solve cold cases that have weighed heavily on detectives, prosecutors and families.  We value the work of California DOJ criminalists who work in labs throughout California every day to assist with criminal justice.”

– CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

SONOMA COUNTY – On July 10, 2026, James Oliver Unick, 64, of Willows, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a Sonoma County jury found him guilty in February of first-degree murder and a special circumstance related to the sexual assault that occurred during the commission of the murder.

The charges resulted from a homicide that occurred on May 23,1982 in Cloverdale. The victim, Sarah Geer, 13, left a friend’s home to walk downtown when she was accosted by Unick near an alley off a residential street. Unick forcibly dragged Geer down the alley to a secluded area adjacent to an apartment building and behind a fence. Unick raped the teen and strangled her to death using her own shorts as a ligature. The homicide was investigated by the Cloverdale Police Department, but the investigation was limited by the forensic science of the day and went cold for several decades.

The first breakthrough in the investigation occurred in 2003, when a criminalist with the California Department of Justice was able to develop a DNA profile based upon sperm collected from Sarah’s underwear. That profile did not match anyone whose DNA was available for comparison in law enforcement databases, and the investigation remained cold.

In 2021, the Cloverdale Police Department retained the services of private investigator Kevin Cline to assist with the investigation. The investigative team enlisted the FBI to help identify a matching source of the DNA profile constructed in 2003. The FBI, with its access to familial genealogical databases, concluded that the source of the DNA evidence collected from Geer belonged to one of four brothers, including James Unick.

With the investigation considerably focused, FBI agents conducted surveillance of the defendant and collected a discarded cigarette that he had been smoking. A DNA analysis of the cigarette butt confirmed that Unick’s DNA matched the 2003 profile, and his DNA additionally matched DNA collected on numerous articles of clothing that Geer had been wearing at the time of her death.

The Cloverdale Police Department arrested Unick at his residence in Willows in July 2024. At the time of his arrest, Unick denied ever knowing Sarah Geer or having any contact with her.

During the month-long trial, the jury heard testimony from Geer’s friends who had spent time with her during her final weekend alive. The jury also heard from Unick, who detailed for the jury the events of May 23, 1982. During his testimony, Unick explained that the 13-year-old propositioned him for sex while he had been playing a video game at the Cloverdale arcade. He claimed that they had consensual sex on a hillside near the Russian River, and he dropped her off back at the arcade afterwards.

The jury convicted Unick of first-degree murder and found true the special circumstance allegation that the murder occurred during the commission of a sexual assault.

At sentencing, several members of Geer’s family submitted letters and spoke about the tremendous devastation this crime had on their lives for the last 44 years. The sentencing and trial were also attended by members of the broader Cloverdale community, who shared in the loss and harm caused by Unick. In addressing Unick, Judge Passaglia noted that he had “robbed a child of her potential, of her life, and caused her to suffer in a most brutal way.” She noted Unick’s failure to take any responsibility and that he “had the audacity to blame the child for the things that occurred to her.” Judge Passaglia sentenced Unick to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole, the penalty mandated under the law.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Christina Stevens and Deputy District Attorney Alex Fisher, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Dave Kahl. Investigator Kevin Cline and Detective Katie Vanoni of the Cloverdale Police Department headed the most recent portion of the investigation, with assistance from California Department of Justice and the FBI.

District Attorney Carla Rodriguez stated, “No sentence can undo what was taken from this child or erase the pain her family has carried for the past 44 years. Today, with the imposition of a life sentence, this prosecution has reached its conclusion, and the defendant will be held accountable for the horrific crimes the jury found him guilty of committing. We remember a 13-year-old girl whose life was cut short, and we hope this sentence brings some measure of peace to those who have waited for so long.”