After more than three decades of uncertainty and unanswered questions, a major update has emerged in a cold case that rattled the San Mateo community back in 1989. On the eve of jury selection set for last Thursday, John Harris Jr. has notably pleaded no contest to charges of attempted murder and aggravated mayhem for a crime that included rape, stabbing, and a harrowing attempt on a woman's life. According to a social media post from the San Mateo Police Department, Harris now faces a prison sentence of 19 years to life and is scheduled for sentencing on October 3.
The original incident occurred in the early hours of a 1989 Saturday morning, specifically at 4:15 AM, when the suspect broke into an apartment while the victim was asleep. Following the attack, after being raped and stabbed multiple times, the victim courageously negotiated with the assailant, eventually persuading him to vacate the premises before calling the authorities. This led, years later, with the aid of DNA advancements, to the identification of John Harris Jr., who was, coincidentally, living in the same area when the assault happened but was not known to the victim.
Despite extensive original investigations yielding few results, the case took a turn in 2020, following a DNA match pinpointed by revisiting the evidence. Harris was subsequently arrested in Manteca, California, on February 24, 2021, after leading a rather peripatetic existence, with residencies spread across the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin County, and Arizona.
At the time of his arrest, Harris's bail was set at a steep $500,000. Being booked into the San Mateo County Main Jail marked the start of his journey toward accountability for the actions taken on that fateful day, which nearly claimed a life. The San Mateo Police Department, in their post, detailed the collective effort by agencies that included the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI’s San Francisco and Los Angeles Divisions, and the Manteca Police Department.
