More than five decades after Nancy Bennallack was stabbed to death in her Sacramento County apartment bedroom, her cold case has been solved with the same technology used to solve the Golden State Killer’s case, authorities said. “Time is the justice that examines all offenders. Nancy was never forgotten,” Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said while referring to the 51 years the case spanned. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday that Richard John Davis killed the then-28-year-old Bennallack in 1970. Davis had lived in the same apartment complex as Bennallack when he murdered her, authorities said. He died in 1997 from what investigators believe was related to alcoholism. “Due to the fact that Richard Davis is deceased, sadly, there won’t be any form of legal justice, but Linda and Tom, I hope this brings you, Nancy, and your family some peace,” said retired homicide detective Micki Links, who started working on Bennallack’s case in 2005 Timeline of murder Bennallack, who worked as a court reporter, and her fiancé returned to her apartment after a night out around 11:30 pm on Oct 25. Her fiancé, who also worked in the court system, returned to his home later that night.The following day, Bennallack did not show up for work. Her co-worker called her son de ella and asked him to check on her. With the help of the apartment manager, the co-worker’s son opened up Bennallack’s apartment and found her murdered. Sometime between 11:30 that night and the early morning hours of Oct. 26, Davis broke in. Links said Davis put tape over her fingertips, climbed up the second-story balcony of Bennallack’s apartment and stabbed her over 30 times, almost decapitating her. Bennallack also had wounds on her body de ella that indicated she fought with Davis, Links said. Davis had cut himself during the assault, and a trail of blood led from her apartment to the middle of the apartment complex parking lot. His DNA profile from the blood had been in state and national databases for years, and no matches were found. Then in 2019, the Sacramento County cold case team began a forensic genetic genealogy investigation, which is where the DNA profile is matched with relatives to narrow down who the suspect is. Links said a relative of Davis provided their DNA, and he was confirmed as the murderer on July 21. “All the while, time was passing these past 50 years, science was evolving,” Schubert said. The sheriff’s office said 11 cases with 17 murders, 59 rape cases and three unidentified remains have been solved using the new genetic testing. The technology is the same that linked Joseph DeAngelo to the murders of 13 people. Davis lived near Bennallack in the same apartment complex “In one month of Nancy’s murder, the sheriff’s office interviewed over 500 people,” Schubert said. Davis and his roommate were included in those interviews, but both alibied each other, she said. Davis, who was 27 years old at the time, had lived in apartment 23, while Bennallack lived in apartment 17. Investigators believe Davis could see across the pool into her apartment de ella, which could have led to the motivation behind her murder de ella . “Clearly, I intended to do what he did that day,” Links said. “This man put masking tape over every one of his fingers, I guess gloves weren’t that easy to find those days to conceal his fingerprints. Were he alive, I think we’re talking premeditated murder.”Links said Davis had no previous violent felony convictions but did have a DUI arrest.Family reactsThe Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office read out a letter from Nancy’s sister Linda Cox at Wednesday’s conference.“ After almost 52 years of missing my sister, we owe Micki Links so much gratitude. How many times my husband, Tom and myself have said Nancy would love our ranch, all our animals and land with wide open spaces. We have missed sharing our children and grandchildren and so much more,” part of the letter read. Bennallack’s fiancé, Sacramento County’s chief public defender Farris Salamy, died in 2014, “no doubt always wondering who was the man who took his fiancé,” Schubert said. Schubert made references to how different the times were back in 1970. “To give everyone a perspective on the meaning of this case, being here today, we have to start with 1970,” she said. “In 1970, the United States population was 200 million people, today it sits at 332 million people. The population in Sacramento County was 635,000. Today it sits at 1.6 million.”Schubert referenced how much a home and a gallon of gas cost compared to now. Richard Nixon was president at the time, and Ronald Reagan was the Governor of California. Reagan won a second term just a few days after Bennallack’s murder, Schubert said. She went on to say that Reagan died 20 years ago, “that tells you how long we’re talking about.””There’s no doubt that justice, in this case, was dormant for decades,” Schubert said. “It is passion and persistence that brings these answers.” Previous coverage in video below.
More than five decades after Nancy Bennallack was stabbed to death in her Sacramento County apartment bedroom, her cold case has been solved with the same technology used to solve the Golden State Killer’s case, authorities said.
“Time is the justice that examines all offenders. Nancy was never forgotten,” Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said while referring to the 51 years the case spanned.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office announced on Wednesday that Richard John Davis killed the then-28-year-old Bennallack in 1970. Davis had lived in the same apartment complex as Bennallack when he murdered her, authorities said. He died in 1997 from what investigators believe was related to alcoholism.
“Due to the fact that Richard Davis is deceased, sadly, there won’t be any form of legal justice, but Linda and Tom, I hope this brings you, Nancy, and your family some peace,” said retired homicide detective Micki Links , who started working on Bennallack’s case in 2005
Timeline of murder
Bennallack, who worked as a court reporter, and her fiancé returned to her apartment after a night out around 11:30 pm on Oct. 25. Her fiancé, who also worked in the court system, returned to his home later that night.
The following day, Bennallack did not show up for work. Her co-worker called her son de ella and asked him to check on her. With the help of the apartment manager, the co-worker’s son opened up Bennallack’s apartment and found her murdered.
Sometime between 11:30 that night and the early morning hours of Oct. 26, Davis broke in.
Links said Davis put tape over his fingertips, climbed up the second-story balcony of Bennallack’s apartment and stabbed her over 30 times, almost decapitating her. Bennallack also had wounds on her body de ella that indicated she fought with Davis, Links said.
Davis had cut himself during the assault, and a trail of blood led from her apartment to the middle of the apartment complex parking lot. His DNA profile from the blood had been in state and national databases for years, and no matches were found.
Then in 2019, the Sacramento County cold case team began a forensic genetic genealogy investigation, which is where the DNA profile is matched with relatives to narrow down who the suspect is. Links said a relative of Davis provided their DNA, and he was confirmed as the murderer on July 21.
“All the while, time was passing these past 50 years, science was evolving,” Schubert said.
The sheriff’s office said 11 cases with 17 murders, 59 rape cases and three unidentified remains have been solved using the new genetic testing. The technology is the same that linked Joseph DeAngelo to the murders of 13 people.
Davis lived near Bennallack in the same apartment complex
“In one month of Nancy’s murder, the sheriff’s office interviewed over 500 people,” Schubert said. Davis and his roommate were included in those interviews, but both alibied each other, she said.
Davis, who was 27 years old at the time, had lived in apartment 23, while Bennallack lived in apartment 17. Investigators believe Davis could see across the pool into her apartment, which could have led to the motivation behind her murder.
“Clearly, I intended to do what he did that day,” Links said. “This man put masking tape over every one of his fingers, I guess gloves weren’t that easy to find those days to conceal his fingerprints. Were he alive, I think we’re talking premeditated murder.”
Links said Davis had no previous violent felony convictions but did have a DUI arrest.
Family reacts
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office read out a letter from Nancy’s sister Linda Cox at Wednesday’s conference.
“After almost 52 years of missing my sister, we owe Micki Links so much gratitude. How many times my husband, Tom and myself have said Nancy would love our ranch, all our animals and land with wide open spaces. We have missed sharing our children and grandchildren and so much more,” part of the letter read.
Bennallack’s fiancé, Sacramento County’s chief public defender Farris Salamy, died in 2014, “no doubt always wondering who was the man who took his fiancé,” Schubert said.
Schubert made references to how different the times were back in 1970.
“To give everyone a perspective on the meaning of this case, being here today, we have to start with 1970,” she said. “In 1970, the United States population was 200 million people, today it sits at 332 million people. The population in Sacramento County was 635,000. Today it sits at 1.6 million.”
Schubert referenced how much a home and a gallon of gas cost compared to now. Richard Nixon was president at the time, and Ronald Reagan was the Governor of California. Reagan won a second term just a few days after Bennallack’s murder, Schubert said.
She went on to say that Reagan died 20 years ago, “that tells you how long we’re talking about.”
“There’s no doubt that justice, in this case, was dormant for decades,” Schubert said. “It is passion and persistence that brings these answers.”
Previous coverage in video below.
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