A Hemet man has been handed a 130-year to life prison sentence for a 1999 kidnapping and rape case in Escondido, a crime cracked through DNA and genealogy techniques often associated with solving cold-case murders. Mark Thompson Hunter, now 66, was identified as the assailant through genetic genealogy after a family member took a DNA test and uploaded the results to a publicly accessible database, which law enforcement is permitted to access.
The investigation into the 1999 attack was reinvigorated in 2020 when a cold-case team revisited the case, utilizing genetic genealogy to identify DNA from the assailant. Hunter was arrested two years ago, facing charges that included rape, kidnapping, and tying up the 19-year-old victim who had been lured under the pretext of asking for directions. Hunter’s disruptive behavior during Thursday’s sentencing hearing led to his removal from the courtroom, where he maintained his innocence and expressed plans to appeal.
This marks the third successful prosecution by the local District Attorney’s Office involving cold sex-crimes cases solved through genetic genealogy. The method involves matching DNA from a crime scene to a relative who voluntarily uploaded their DNA to a public database, allowing police access. The identification of someone as distant as a third cousin can lead to a partial match, enabling genealogists to create a family tree and ultimately identify the suspect.
The conviction of Hunter demonstrates the effectiveness of genetic genealogy in solving cold cases, a technique previously used to identify the Golden State Killer in 2018. This method has been employed locally to solve various cold-case killings, leading to both identifications and convictions. The Escondido case, occurring in 1999, benefited from changes in laws removing the statute of limitations for forceable sex crimes and specific circumstances that enabled prosecutors to bypass limitations, including the suspect being charged within a year of DNA identification.
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