Man raped woman, then slit her throat in 1989, CA officials say. He’s sentenced
In 1989, a woman sleeping in the bedroom of her apartment was awakened by a stranger and attacked, California police say.
John Harris Jr., 59, has been sentenced to 11 years to life in prison in connection with the alleged attempted murder, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office said in an Oct. 6 news release.
Harris’ sentencing comes after he pleaded no contest Sept. 4 to multiple charges, including attempted murder and aggravated mayhem, prosecutors said.
An attorney for Harris did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Oct. 8.
“It’s a spectacular feeling, and we’re so happy for this victim,” San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe told Bay Area News Group. “This victim, throughout those 36 years, always kept in contact with the police. She’s one of the strongest victims we’ve ever encountered, and she always made sure we were still paying attention.”
1989 apartment assault
The woman was asleep in her San Mateo apartment in 1989 when a stranger broke into her home, police said in a Facebook post.
The man went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, then headed to the bedroom where the woman was sleeping, police said.
After climbing into the woman’s bed, the man is accused of putting a knife to her throat, officers said.
With his face hidden behind a bandana, the man raped and strangled the woman, according to police.
The man stabbed the woman and “slit her throat from ear to ear,” prosecutors said.
Even still, police said, the woman “remained brave and fought back.”
The woman spoke to the man, telling him she hadn’t seen his face, pleading for him to leave her home, prosecutors said.
The woman’s words convinced him to leave, and she called 911, police said.
During an examination after the alleged attack, the man’s semen was found, prosecutors said, adding that DNA was also found on a scarf he left in the apartment.
After a DNA profile for the man was created, it was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, the district attorney’s office said.
CODIS is “a computer software program that operates local, state, and national databases of DNA profiles from convicted offenders, unsolved crime scene evidence, and missing persons,” according to federal prosecutors.
However, no matches were found , prosecutors said.
“Despite a thorough investigation and multiple interviews at the time, no suspect was identified,” police said.
The case remained stagnant for more than three decades.
DNA testing leads to arrest
Then, in 2020, prosecutors said they, along with police detectives, used DNA mapping techniques to try to identify a suspect.
The district attorney’s office said this testing led detectives to Harris’ family.
After Harris was identified as a possible suspect, prosecutors said they got a DNA sample from him via “an envelope he had licked and sealed.”
A DNA comparison found that Harris’ profile matched that of the unknown man from the 1989 cold case, prosecutors said.
Harris was arrested on an attempted murder charge in Manteca on Feb. 24, 2021, police said.
Through an investigation, detectives learned “Harris lived in the same neighborhood” as the woman at the time of the alleged assault, police said.
Over the decades, police said they believe Harris lived “throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin County, and Arizona.”
During Harris’ sentencing, the woman spoke, asking the court that he receive the maximum prison sentence, prosecutors said.
Wagstaffe told Bay Area News Group the woman’s statement was “very strong.”
“She is a very strong person who has survived this and is a wonderful example of not letting a rapist take advantage of her,” Wagstaffe told the outlet. “She is stronger than her rapist, and so we were very pleased and proud that we were able to bring justice to her.”
In addition to his prison sentence, the district attorney’s office said he will be required to register as a sex offender for life.
The woman is seeking $12.8 million in restitution, which will be considered at a December hearing, prosecutors said.
San Mateo is about a 20-mile drive south from San Francisco.
This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 2:54 PM with the headline "Man raped woman, then slit her throat in 1989, CA officials say. He’s sentenced."
