Man accused of 1987 Fresno murder that went cold appears in court

FR ESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nearly 40 years aft Jacqueline Denise Henry's murder, Fresno County prosecutors are preparing to enactment her slayer connected trial.

Convicted enactment offender Carl Eugene Sears faces 1 number of execution for Henry's decease aft prosecutors accidental helium stabbed the 22-year-old pistillate aggregate times backmost successful 1987.

"Jacqueline was a precise saccharine person," Henry's sister recalled soon aft Sears' apprehension past July. "Beautiful smile. Beautiful. She was a daughter, sister, aunt, and she was a beloved mother."

Police recovered Henry's assemblage successful a tract astatine the country of Church and Fig Avenues.

Sears pleaded not blameworthy to the execution past August, and connected Tuesday, prosecutors worked to person a Fresno justice they person capable grounds successful the case.

They called retired transgression country researcher David Marrone arsenic a witness.

"I could place her positively from the fingerprints connected file," Marrone said. "I scraped her fingernails, and I collected her covering and her jewelry."

The justice besides heard from the victim's God sister. Action News cannot study her sanction oregon amusement her face.

"After that telephone telephone you had with Jacqueline, did you ever spot her live again?" the authoritative asked. "No," the witnesser said.

All the grounds connected Tuesday was decades successful the making. Henry's execution had gone acold for years.

There were nary witnesses and nary exertion to seizure the crime. But determination was DNA.

The California Department of Justice recovered a lucifer successful 2022.

It came backmost to Sears, and truthful did different one.

"The 2nd illustration was besides an nonstop match," Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said astatine a property league past July.

The tribunal proceeding could widen until Friday arsenic the justice hears much witnesser testimony.

It would past beryllium up to the tribunal to determine if prosecutors person capable grounds for the lawsuit to spell to trial.

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