After more than three decades, justice has been served in a harrowing cold case from 1994 after a Santa Clara County jury convicted 67-year-old Thomas Loguidice. The registered sex offender, already serving a 40-year term for sexually abusing a child, faced new charges related to a kidnapping and robbery at a San Jose mall. As disclosed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, Loguidice is now sentenced to life, with the verdict emerging from a two-day deliberation following a week of testimony.
The breakthrough in the case resulted from DNA matching done by the DA's Cold Case Unit, which linked evidence from the scene to Loguidice's profile in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). Despite the elapsed time since the crime, District Attorney Jeff Rosen underscored the persistence of his office, affirming that "We do not forget. The passage of time does not minimize this defendant’s violent and horrific acts, and he deserves to be held accountable," according to Hoodline.
The crime took place at the President Tuxedo store in Oakridge Mall, where Loguidice, armed, corralled a 21-year-old store manager into a storage room. He tied her to a pipe and sexually assaulted her before stealing a small amount of cash and fleeing. Although leads were initially pursued by the San Jose Police Department, no conclusive results have been achieved until now. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Hanley Chew delivered the life sentence to Loguidice, recognizing the significance of DNA science in solving such an enduring case.
While the DNA evidence brought the kidnapping and robbery to a legal resolution, Loguidice escaped indictment for the sexual assault due to the statute of limitations expiring in 2000. Nevertheless, the victim provided a powerful impact statement during the trial, thanking DA Jeff Rosen for ensuring that crime victims are not forgotten, as indicated in a social media post by journalist Henry K. Lee. The DA's Cold Case Unit's mission to tackle unsolved crimes, enhanced by a $500,000 federal grant, has led to the resolution of over 30 cold case murders and 12 sexual assault cold cases, as reported by the DA’s Office.
UPDATE:Sex offender Thomas Loguidice,68,serving 40 yrs in @CACorrections for sexually abusing child, gets life for knifepoint kidnapping of 21yo woman who was store manager at Oakridge Mall per #SantaClaraDA @SanJosePD, adding she was sexually assaulted but statute of lim.has run pic.twitter.com/X5LDsL7yPd
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) March 25, 2025
