SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – A 75-year-old has been extradited from Hawaii to California after he was arrested in early August for the brutal murder of a Palo Alto teen in 1982.
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Gary Ramirez, of Makawao Hawaii, was arrested on Aug. 2 on suspicion of raping and killing a 15-year-old Palo Alto girl.
In 1982, almost 40 years ago, Palo Alto High School student Karen Stitt was dropped off at a bus stop at El Camino Real and Wolfe Road following a date with her boyfriend. Her body was found the next morning 100 yards from the bus stop. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed dozens of times.
For decades, the case had no potential leads, until 2019 when a Bay Area detective received a tip that led authorities to name Gary Ramirez as their primary suspect. According to the county’s crime lab, his DNA allegedly matched the blood and bodily fluid samples found on Stitt's body.
Ramirez lived in Fresno before moving to Makawao, Hawaii. He was flown from the island to California on Saturday, awaiting arraignment for kidnap, rape and murder.
Ramirez has been booked into the Santa Clara County jail with his first court date still pending. If he is found guilty, he faces life in prison without parole.
KCBS Radio has reached out to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for comment, but has not yet heard back.
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