Man arrested in connection with 42-year-old Solano County cold-case murder
SOLANO COUNTY - A suspected killer has been arrested in connection with a cold case that's been a mystery for over 42 years.
On Monday, the Solano County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Herman Lee Hobbs in connection with the 1980 killing of 21-year-old Holly Ann Campiglia from New Jersey. A convicted killer, Hobbs was in prison serving time for a 1975 murder for which he was convicted in 2005.
Then, in August 1980, two field workers on Sievers Road in unincorporated Dixon discovered a body in a cornfield. She had suffered gunshots to her head and neck. For the next 10 years, Campiglia's identity was unknown. Then, in 1992, the National Missing Persons Unit helped identify Campiglia as the victim, the sheriff's office says.
Nearly 30 years later, in late 2021, Campiglia's family requested that evidence technicians review the case to see if any original evidence could be resubmitted for additional DNA analysis. Several months later, the sheriff's office was told by the Serological Research Institute that male DNA was found on these pieces of evidence. When that DNA was submitted to another database with the San Mateo Crime Lab, the sheriff's department learned that it belonged to then-76-year-old Hobbs.
The sheriff's department says deputies obtained a warrant to collect new DNA from Hobbs for a direct comparison. It was confirmed last week that Hobbs' DNA was found at the original crime scene, they say. An arrest warrant was then issued by a Solano County Superior Court Judge. Hobbs was arrested and transferred from State Prison to Solano County Jail to face charges for the murder of Campiglia, including an enhancement because he used a gun.
Detectives are working with other law enforcement agencies in Northern California agencies to potentially identify and/or solve additional cases that may be linked to Hobbs.
This case remains under active investigation. Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the Solano Sheriff Investigations at (707) 784-7050.