Teen raped and brutally stabbed 59 times in 1982 — Killer caught and sentenced 43 years later

Gary Ramirez, aged 78, has been sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after 25 years for the 1982 rape and murder of 15-year-old Karen Stitt in Sunnyvale, California. Ramirez entered a no-contest plea to the charges earlier this year on February 24. The sentencing was carried out by Judge Hanley Chew in a Santa Clara County courtroom.

On the night of September 2, 1982, Karen Stitt left her Palo Alto home to visit her boyfriend in Sunnyvale. Around midnight, she was last seen heading to a bus stop at the junction of Wolfe Road and El Camino Real to return home. The following morning, her body was found approximately 100 yards from the bus stop near a blood-stained cinderblock wall. She had sustained 59 stab wounds and had been sexually assaulted.

Despite the presence of blood and bodily fluids left at the crime scene, the case remained unsolved for decades. In 2000, DNA evidence was used to rule out Ms. Stitt’s boyfriend as a suspect. The breakthrough came in 2019 when a tip directed investigators to a family in Fresno, and extensive genetic testing identified Gary Ramirez as the probable source of the DNA found on Ms. Stitt’s body. The Santa Clara County Crime Lab confirmed the match in April 2022.

Detective Matt Hutchison of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety led the investigation that ultimately linked Ramirez to the crime. District Attorney Jeff Rosen acknowledged the dedication of the investigative team and the Crime Lab, stating, “Karen Stitt passed away more than 40 years ago, but she was never forgotten. Today, our Crime Lab, a tenacious prosecutor, and a committed detective have put the culprit behind bars.”

Friends and relatives of Karen Stitt attended the sentencing hearing to express their ongoing sorrow and anger. The case had remained a cold case for over 40 years before modern forensic technology and persistent investigation brought it to resolution, resulting in Ramirez’s conviction and sentencing.