DNA Testing Leads to Mans Arrest in 1998 Riverside County Killing That His Father Is Also Charged In – KTLA Los Angeles

The son of a man charged in a 1998 cold-case killing was arrested after DNA testing also tied him to the crime that another person had wrongfully served 20 years behind bars for, the Riverside County District Attorneys Office said Tuesday in a news release.

Googie Rene Harris Jr., 40, was arrested in Palm Desert last Friday and charged with one count of murder in connection with the killing of his fathers ex-wife, Terry Cheek, authorities said.

Cheeks body was found in April 1998 near some rocks along Temescal Canyon Road in the Corona Lake area.

The discovery led to the arrest of her boyfriend and co-worker, Horace Roberts, who served 20 years behind bars before he was exonerated last year when the California Innocence Project used new technology to obtain additional DNA testing that tied two other suspects to the killing, according to the DAs office.

The investigation into Cheeks killing was reopened, which led to the arrest of Googie Rene Harris Sr., 63, of Jurupa Valley, and Joaquin Lateee Leal, 53, of Compton, in October 2018.

Harris Sr. was married to Cheek and Leal was the victims nephew by marriage, authorities said.

The latest arrest, of Harris Jr., comes after DNA testing of a watch found near the victims body connected him to her killing, according to the DAs office.

Investigators believe the watch was knocked off of Harris Jr.s arm when the victims body was left along Temescal Canyon Road, the DA said.

The father-son duo and Leal are all believed to have been involved in a plan to kill the woman, authorities said. A motive for the killing is unknown.

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DNA Testing Leads to Mans Arrest in 1998 Riverside County Killing That His Father Is Also Charged In - KTLA Los Angeles