Credit Fresno PD for ‘extraordinarily rare’ arrest in 36-year cold-case murder | Opinion

Committed police work and improved technology combined recently in Fresno with the arrest of a suspect wanted for a murder that happened more than three decades ago.

The arrest marks a significant moment: After more than 36 years, justice may be finally achieved for the relatives of the slain woman.

Jacqueline Henry was 22 when her naked body was discovered in a field in southwest Fresno.

The Black woman had been stabbed multiple times and dumped days earlier. A field worker made the horrific discovery. Henry left behind an infant boy, as well as her own mother, Mae Henry.

Jacqueline Henry’s killing occurred on Feb. 24, 1987. Two detectives were assigned to the case. They determined she had been sexually assaulted and murdered in the parking lot of Pearly Grove Baptist Church. The field where her body was found was across the street.

The detectives gathered as much evidence as they could, but it did not lead them to a suspect. Years went by. One of the detectives passed away in 2012. Henry’s killing became a “cold case,” the term given to unsolved crimes.

Twenty-two years later, Bartlett Ledbetter, a detective in the Fresno PD cold-case unit, was assigned to revisit the Henry murder. Reviewing cold cases is a standard practice, so he submitted evidence to the California DNA Databank.

Initially, nothing got flagged. But technological advancements in DNA screening steadily occurred. It took 13 years, but in February 2022 — 35 years after Henry was killed — Fresno police received a letter from the state “on a possible and probable match to the killer of Jackie,” police Chief Paco Balderrama said at a news conference Tuesday.

That led to the arrest of Carl Eugene Sears, now 71, who police believe murdered Henry when he was 35 years old. He was booked into the Fresno County Jail in lieu of posting $1.2 million in bail. He previously served a prison sentence for a sex crime and was a registered sex offender.

Death penalty?

Working cold cases can be a thankless task until a break occurs. The Bee Editorial Board asked Balderrama if landing that break is like hitting a home run.

“A ‘grand-slam home run’ is a good way to describe it,” he replied in an email. “Especially when you really weren’t expecting a break in the case” after three decades.

Sears was paroled from Avenal State Prison last year. He was at the parole office in Fresno when he was arrested on suspicion of killing Henry.

For her relatives, the news was both a relief and a resurfacing of bitter anger.

In 1987, Henry “was nothing but a baby and did not deserve none of that, said her sister, Connie Meux, fairly shouting her words at the news conference. Of Sears, she said this: “Give him the death penalty. He’s a monster. He don’t deserve to go nowhere but to death.”

The death penalty is a punishment that is under consideration by Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp. No decision will be made until after the preliminary hearing, during which a judge determines if the prosecution has enough evidence to warrant a trial. Even if Sears is convicted of the murder, a separate trial must be held to see if the death penalty should be imposed. Gov. Newsom has halted executions, so life imprisonment would be a likely outcome.

Highest honor

Fresno Police Lt. Paul Cervantes said there are no other cases in which Sears might be a suspect. As to how many cold cases get re-examined each year, he estimated five, but stressed it varies with how many current cases are being investigated.

It takes team work to solve cold cases. If the initial detectives had not gathered sufficient evidence, Ledbetter would not have been able to submit useful material to the DNA lab.

Balderrama stressed how significant Sears’ arrest is for Fresno police. “This is a once in a lifetime and career experience. It is extraordinarily rare that a case is solved after three-and-a-half decades. The many hours of hard work, dedication, and painstaking review of the case make it all worth it to bring justice and closure to a family who have suffered with the pain of losing a loved one, and not knowing who is responsible.

“We feel extremely happy for the family of Ms. Henry, and for our homicide team, this is the highest honor and accomplishment one can have.“