Cherie Washington, a 26-year-old African-American woman from Sacramento, California, was one of several victims in a series of murders that occurred in the mid-1980s. Her body was discovered on April 20, 1987, buried in a shallow grave in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood. The discovery of her remains came amid a broader investigation into multiple homicides involving young women, many of whom were known to be involved in sex work and drug use. The condition of the body and the burial
method—wrapped in bedding and hidden in a shallow grave—mirrored the circumstances surrounding other victims in the case.
The investigation into the death of 26-year-old African-American woman Cherie Washington led authorities to Morris Solomon Jr., a handyman who had lived and worked at several of the properties where victims were found. Solomon, also African-American, was arrested on April 22, 1987, just two days after Washington’s body was uncovered. He was ultimately charged with multiple counts of murder, including the killing of Cherie Washington. The bodies of other victims were found in similar states of decomposition and concealment, often buried in yards or hidden in closets at homes where Solomon had resided or worked.
Authorities noted a pattern among the victims, including 26-year-old African-American woman Cherie Washington: many were bound, partially or fully nude, and wrapped in bedding. These similarities led investigators to conclude that the murders were the work of a single perpetrator. Solomon initially attempted to deflect suspicion by reporting the discovery of one of the bodies himself, but inconsistencies in his statements and forensic evidence eventually tied him to the crimes.
Morris Solomon Jr. was convicted of six murders and sentenced to death in 1992. He remained on death row at San Quentin State Prison for decades. The case of 26-year-old African-American woman Cherie Washington remains one of the most chilling chapters in Sacramento’s criminal history, emblematic of a time when multiple serial killers operated in the region. Her death, along with those of the other victims, underscored the vulnerability of marginalized women and the importance of persistent investigative work in bringing justice to light.
