Thomas McDowell was sentenced to life in prison for breaking into a Lexington County home to kidnap and kill 4-year-old Jessica Gutierrez in the 1986 cold case.
A fingerprint was the key evidence presented in the trial for the 1986 kidnapping/murder case of 4-year-old Jessica Gutierrez on Feb. 7 in Lexington County.
Witnesses took the stand Feb. 6 for the trial in the murder case of a 4-year-old girl, who was killed nearly 40 years ago in Lexington County, SC, but solved in 2022.
In this case, the Cook plea agreement shows the government is willing to seek a maximum of only two years in federal prison instead of the maximum of 10 years.