Ricky Dawson, a 65-year-old convicted serial killer, is set to face charges in San Francisco relating to a 1992 cold-case murder. Dawson, currently serving a life sentence in Colorado for a separate 1996 sexual assault and homicide, was extradited to California after authorities linked him to the decades-old case through DNA evidence.

The victim, Nancy Hernandez, was found dead in an alley within San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood in May 1992. Hernandez, described by officials as homeless, had been using a utility corridor for shelter at the time. An autopsy determined that she died from strangulation and had sustained multiple traumatic injuries consistent with a violent assault that included sexual violence.

The case had remained unsolved for more than 30 years until it was reopened in October 2023. Advances in forensic technology enabled San Francisco police to match DNA collected from the crime scene to Dawson, who has been connected to multiple murders across four states.

Dawson has a documented criminal history involving similar offenses. He pleaded guilty in 2001 to second-degree murder and sexual assault in Panama City Beach, Florida. He was later extradited to Colorado to face charges for the 1996 sexual assault and strangulation homicide of a Denver woman, a conviction which resulted in his life sentence.

Authorities also suspect Dawson in another cold case in Washington state. His DNA reportedly matches samples linked to the 2000 murder of Debbie Cashio in Seattle, who suffered blunt force trauma and died by strangulation.

Dawson pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in San Francisco on Monday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in the Hernandez case on July 30. Investigators continue to examine whether other unsolved cases may be connected to him.