This murder left a trail of blood from the victim’s Chelsea apartment, down four flights of stairs and out the building’s front door — but it took almost 20 years for the trail to lead to a suspect.
Thanks to improved DNA testing, stains and swabs that had sat in evidence storage since the day the blood-drenched murderer left the scene of the 1993 stabbing have finally yielded the name of convicted rapist Gordon Francis, a 54-year-old Queens man who today pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court.
The victim was James Hawkins, a 50-year-old family counselor who was found stabbed 25 times; evidence suggests that the two had had a sexual relationship, according to a law enforcement source.
Hawkins suffered wounds to his neck, chest and abdomen, along with defensive wounds and disturbing cuts to his mouth, gums and tongue, lead prosecutor James Lin said at today’s arraignment.
His accused murderer was 35 years old at the time of the slaying, and only been on parole for about three months after serving prison for a 1983 Manhattan rape, robbery and kidnapping conviction.
The re-investigation was spearheaded by cold case sleuths from both the NYPD and the Manhattan DA’s office, and included re-interviews of numerous witnesses, officials said.
“This was a horrific crime that left the victim’s family seeking justice for nearly two decades,” said DA Cyrus Vance, Jr.
Francis was ordered held without bail by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Renee White. He’ll be brought back to court Sept. 19.