Calif. man gets life for 1982 rape and murder of 7th grader
07/13/2026 3:06 pm PDT
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) -- A man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 1982 rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl.
On May 23, 1982, Sarah Geer had left a friend’s house when she encountered James Unick, now 64, near an alley off a residential street. He raped her and then strangled her with her shorts, and her body was found the next day by a member of the fire department.
The case went cold until 2003, when a DNA profile was developed based on evidence collected at the scene at the time. The DNA did not match anyone, and the case again went cold until 2021, when the FBI analyzed the sample and found that it was connected to one of four brothers, including Unick.
Investigators surveilled Unick and collected a cigarette he discarded to test it. The DNA on the cigarette matched the profile that had been created as well as DNA on crime scene evidence, including Geer’s underwear. Unick was arrested in July 2024 and was found guilty of murder in February. In addition, it was found true that he committed sexual assault during the commission of the murder.
The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office announced that Unick was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on July 10.
According to the DA, Unick testified at trial that Geer propositioned him for sex at an arcade; he claimed they had a consensual encounter and then he dropped her back off at the arcade when it was done.
Of the sentencing, Judge Laura Passaglia noted Unick’s “audacity to blame the child for the things that occurred to her,” according to the DA.
An online memorial for Geer describes her as a tall and pretty seventh grader. She lived with her single mother, who was working to become a registered nurse at the time of Geer’s death.
According to District Attorney Carla Rodriguez, “No sentence can undo what was taken from this child or erase the pain her family has carried for the past 44 years. Today, with the imposition of a life sentence, this prosecution has reached its conclusion, and the defendant will be held accountable for the horrific crimes the jury found him guilty of committing. We remember a 13-year-old girl whose life was cut short, and we hope this sentence brings some measure of peace to those who have waited for so long.”
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