For Immediate Release: August 22, 2024
Justice Finally Served as True Perpetrators Convicted in Terry Cheek Murder Case
Horace Roberts, Cleared by DNA Evidence After 20 Years in Prison, Finally Sees Justice as Convictions Bring Closure to a Two-Decade-Old Tragedy
Riverside, Calif., August 22, 2024 – After more than two decades, justice has finally been served in the case of Terry Cheek’s tragic murder, bringing long-awaited relief to Horace Roberts and his family. Roberts, who was wrongly convicted of Cheek’s murder in 1998, spent 20 years in prison before being exonerated through DNA evidence that ultimately led to the conviction of the true perpetrators. The recent conviction of Googie Harris Sr., Cheek’s estranged husband, and Joaquin Leal, Harris’s nephew, marks a significant milestone in a case that has haunted both the victim’s family and Horace Roberts for far too long.
In April 1998, Terry Cheek was found dead near a lake not far from where Horace Roberts’ truck was discovered on a highway with its lights blinking. At the time, investigators focused on Roberts as a suspect, fueled by claims of a secret affair and conflicting statements regarding his whereabouts. Despite a lack of direct evidence linking Roberts to the crime, he was tried three times and ultimately convicted of murder in the third trial, receiving a life sentence.
However, new evidence emerged in 2013 when Roberts’ attorney, Michael Semanchik, uncovered critical DNA evidence. Tests revealed that DNA found on a watch near Cheek’s body did not match Roberts but instead matched Harris’s son. Additional DNA evidence under Cheek’s fingernails and on her jeans pointed to Joaquin Leal. The revelation of this new evidence shed light on the truth: Cheek’s murder was not committed by Roberts, but by those much closer to her.
After a long and arduous battle for justice, Roberts was released from prison in 2018, and his conviction was overturned. Charges were subsequently brought against Harris and Leal, who both pleaded not guilty. In December 2019, Harris’s son was also arrested for his involvement in the murder.
Today, as the true perpetrators are held accountable, Horace Roberts can finally begin to heal from the unimaginable ordeal he endured.
“The conviction of Googie Harris Sr. and Joaquin Leal marks a significant step toward justice, bringing a long-overdue sense of closure to both the victim’s family and Horace Roberts, who unjustly lost 20 years of his life,” said Michael Semanchik, Executive Director of The Innocence Center and who represents Horace Roberts. “This case underscores the critical importance of continuing to pursue justice, even in the face of past errors. It also highlights the urgent need for criminal legal reform to ensure that we identify the right individuals from the start, sparing innocent lives from irreversible harm.”
As the legal chapter in this tragic story comes to a close, there remains a strong call for necessary reforms within the criminal justice system to prevent such miscarriages of justice in the future.
For more information, please contact Jasmin Harris (jasmin@theinnocencecenter.org).
###
About The Innocence Center
The Innocence Center is an independent non-profit law firm dedicated to the release of wrongfully convicted individuals, educating the public on the causes of wrongful conviction, and assisting exonerated individuals as they reenter society. The Innocence Center receives hundreds of innocence claims each year and attorneys at The Innocence Center have been involved in freeing more than 40 wrongfully convicted individuals, who have served more than 600 years in prison collectively, over their careers. Read more at: https://theinnocencecenter.org.
