Trucker Charged With Two Cold Case Murders

Two families waiting 30 years for answers about their loved ones’ deaths now have them at last.

Douglas Thomas, charged with two murders in the 1990s (Image: Riverside DA’s Office)

A retired truck driver from Texas has been charged with two cold case murders after genetic genealogy linked him to evidence found at both crime scenes.

Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced 68-year-old Douglas Thomas has now been charged with the 1993 murder of Sherri Herrera, 30, as well as the killing of Shenda Denise Hayes in 1992.

Sherri was a mother-of-four from Tulare in California and her body was found on an on-ramp to I-10 in Desert Center near the Arizona state line on March 30th 1993. Authorities said she had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a belt before her body was dumped by the side of the road.

Sherri Herrera, murdered in 1993 (Image: Riverside DA’s Office)

Relatives had last seen her alive just a few days before and, according to the Spokesman-Review, believed her to be in a relationship with a truck driver from the San Diego area. However, she was also reportedly making ends meet as a sex worker and so frequented truck stops along the state’s highways.