Cherry Hill Woman's Killer Sentenced After Family Revived The 40-Year Cold Case

SOLANO COUNTY, CA — Decades after a Cherry Hill woman was found dead in a California cornfield, Holly Ann Campiglia's killer has been sentenced to prison.

Herman Lee Hobbs was sentenced last week to 15 years to life in prison for the sexual assault and murder of Campiglia, 21. Hobbs has been serving life sentences for murder and child rape.

The case has been cold for more than 40 years, until Campiglia's family urged authorities to review the original evidence for DNA testing, according to the Solano County Sheriff's Office.

"Holly's family has suffered tremendously over the past four decades," the agency said. "They turned their grief into action and never gave up in their search for justice. We know that today’s sentencing will not bring Holly back, but it is our hope that it gives them some peace.

In 1980, two field workers discovered a body in a cornfield in Dixon — about 20 miles southwest of Sacramento. Campiglia, who was then unidentified, died from multiple gunshots to her head and neck, according to the Solano County Sheriff's Office.

Campiglia was listed as "Jane Doe" until 1992, when authorities identified her as a woman who had been reported missing out of Cherry Hill before her death.

Before her body was found, Campiglia ran away from home, according to Courier Post archives. One month later, her mother received a letter saying Campiglia was living with two men in California.

The letter had a false return address, but it was mailed from Sacramento in July 1980. Campiglia's body was found Aug. 3 of that year.

The case remained cold for decades, until late 2021. At the request of Campiglia's family, an evidence technician at the Solano County Sheriff's Office reviewed whether any original evidence could be resubmitted for DNA testing. When the DNA was submitted into another database with the San Mateo Crime Lab, authorities learned it belonged to Hobbs.

Hobbs was already serving two lengthy prison terms. In 2000, he was sentenced to 25 years to life for raping a 15-year-old girl. Five years later, he received the same punishment for raping and killing Terri Pata, whose case also remained cold for decades after she was found dead in 1975.

Solano County detectives obtained a warrant to collect new DNA from Hobbs for a direct comparison. The match was once again confirmed.