Gardena man pleads not guilty to 1994 murder of Desert Hot Springs woman
A Gardena man recently arrested in connection with the 1994 murder of a Desert Hot Springs woman has pleaded not guilty to his charges.
Sharron Eugene Gadlin, 48, was arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Friday on multiple charges including murder. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gail O'Rane scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 3 at the Riverside Hall of Justice and left his bail set at $1 million.
Gadlin was arrested on March 4 after forensic genetic genealogy connected him to the murder of Cheri Huss, according to spokesman John Hall of the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. He was charged with one felony count of murder along with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a weapon during the felony.
Huss was found dead in her apartment on Parma Drive in Desert Hot Springs on April 24, 1994.
According to the DA's office, she was stabbed multiple times and was bitten by the killer.
Investigators discovered that she had fought off her attacker, causing the assailant to leave blood. Hall said blood and saliva found at the scene had matching DNA, but at the time, no identity was discovered, causing the case to go cold.
The case remained cold until Feb. 2021 when forensic genetic genealogy was used to identify Galdin as a person of interest in the case.
Investigators learned Galdin lived in Thousand Palms in 1994, about 12 miles away from the murder scene.
After receiving a warrant to obtain Galdin's saliva, it was discovered that there was a match with the DNA collected at the crime scene, officials said.
Other clues that pointed to him were not disclosed. A possible motive for the attack has not been disclosed.
According to court records, Gadlin has prior misdemeanor convictions in the county for breaking and entering and public intoxication.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.
