A California Woman Was Sexually Assaulted and Murdered. It Took Over 40 Years, But Her Family Finally Got Justice.

A woman left her late shift at a California donut shop in 1980 ready for sleep, but she never made it to her bed. Instead a man raped and killed her.

Decades later, justice was finally given in the cold case as the killer was sentenced in connection with the brutal crime.

A California judge recently sentenced Phillip Lee Wilson to life behind bars without parole for the killing of Robin Brooks in 1980. The murder case was cold for 40 years — until DNA helped find the killer.

On April 24, 1980, Brooks was leaving her shift at Donut Time in Sacramento, according to Cox Media Group. A friend said she joked about having to go home and make the bed before getting into it, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Brooks walked to the Garden Club apartments about a block away, according to Cox Media Group. She made it to her unit but didn’t make it to sleep, and she was later found dead in a pool of blood.

Investigators said she was stabbed five times and the knife pierced her heart, according to Cox Media Group.

The killer left behind DNA after a sexual assault and his fingerprints on a windowsill, the newsgroup reported. There were also blood smears found on the walls of the apartment.

The case went cold until 2020, when Wilson was arrested thanks to DNA technology advancements. The killer, now in his 70s, finally faced justice.

The conviction brought relief to the victim's friends and family.

“I'm so happy that she finally got justice," said Deanna Forrester, Brooks' childhood friend, according to ABC 10.

Brooks’ sister, Maria Arrick, was in the courtroom every day for the trial and said the recent verdict meant she could move on with her life, ABC 10 reported.

"I feel good that this gives other people hope in the future that justice can be served even after 42 years," Arrick said, according to the TV station.