Accused killer finally revealed by DNA ‘breakthrough’ decades later, CA cops say
A suspect has been identified in a “tragic” cold case homicide that posed a mystery for decades, California police say.
Victor Lamont Ferguson, who died in 2022, was identified by using DNA testing as a suspect in Karen Gevorkov’s 1997 slaying, the San Jose Police Department said in an April 14 news release.
“(Twenty-eight) years ago, Karen lost his life and his family never knew why,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in the release. “Although the truth won’t bring him back, it brings answers and hopefully closure for a family who has been waiting for both for a long time now.”
Police said their officers responded to a call about an unconscious man outside a San Jose home on July 16, 1997.
The man, later identified as Gevorkov, 28, “had been brutally attacked and died from blunt force trauma,” police said.
Investigation showed Gevorkov was last seen alive the night before, police said.
A friend told police the two were walking near Starbird Park when three men approached.
One of the men attacked them with a blunt item, which was “later described as a bat,” police said.
Though the friend was not able to identify the suspects, interviews with residents in the area pointed investigators to Ferguson, and he “was identified as a person of interest,” police said.
But “despite numerous efforts to solve the case, key evidence eluded investigators — until now,” police said.
Advances in DNA testing led to “a breakthrough in 2024,” police said.
When DNA from Gevorkov’s clothing was tested, it was found to be a match to Ferguson’s DNA, “providing conclusive evidence of his involvement in the crime,” according to police.
In addition to the DNA evidence, “a former inmate who came forward in 1997 was reinterviewed by police” in 2016.
The inmate’s information further solidified Ferguson’s connection in Gevorkov’s death, police said.
“The term cold case is misleading,” Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in the release. “We may have exhausted all leads, interviewed everyone we can think of, and tested every piece of evidence. But we never stop.”
Ferguson went on to move to Kansas and died in 2022, police said.
“Though the suspect is no longer here to face accountability, we hope this new evidence provides much-needed closure to Karen Gevorkov’s family, and serves as a reminder that we will never stop pursuing justice for those we’ve lost,” San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph said in the release.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Accused killer finally revealed by DNA ‘breakthrough’ decades later, CA cops say."
