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 Joe Contreras, 75, was arrested in the cold case killing of his then-lover, 84-year-old Alice Sharitz.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The boyfriend of a San Jose woman found dead in her home nearly 30 years ago has been arrested, potentially bringing a close to the cold case.
Authorities said that on Oct. 6, 1997, the body of 84-year-old Alice Sharitz was found inside her apartment in the 40 block of North Jackson Avenue. Sharitz, who lived alone, was found on her living room floor with a wooden-handled knife embedded in her chest, according to police. She also had visible abrasions on both knees.
Gruesome discovery
The backstory:
The victim was discovered by a neighbor who was delivering a card to her apartment. Upon finding the door ajar, the neighbor looked inside, saw Sharitz on the floor, and called 911.
An autopsy later revealed the extent of the brutality. Sharitz suffered two stab wounds to the chest, multiple fractures, neck injuries, and numerous facial abrasions. The coroner determined the cause of death to be multiple traumatic injuries.
While investigators processed the scene and collected DNA evidence at the time, the trail eventually went cold for nearly three decades.
DNA breakthrough and arrest
Dig deeper:
The investigation stalled until advanced forensic analysis recently identified 75-year-old Joe Contreras as a potential source of the DNA found at the scene. Contreras, who was living in Oregon, was eventually named the primary suspect in the killing.
Law enforcement arrested Contreras on Dec. 19, 2025. He was extradited to San Jose on Tuesday and booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of murder.
“Time does not erase responsibility,” said San José Police Department Chief Paul Joseph. “
While a motive has not been released, authorities confirmed that Sharitz and Contreras were in a romantic relationship at the time of her death.
The Source: Information for this story comes from the San Jose Police Department.