Burglar gets 27 years in landmark DNA case

Nearly two years ago, Denver prosecutors charted new territory, obtaining the city's first arrest warrant based solely on a man's DNA profile.

On Monday, their efforts paid off as a serial burglar was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

Terre Jefferson, 35, was ordered to serve the time for his role in three break-ins, dating back to 2002. In all of the cases, sleeping women awoke to find him sitting on their bed or standing nearby, fondling himself.

Jefferson would sometimes ask the victims if he could smell or lick their feet, prosecutor Dawn Weber said. He went after women who were alone at home, she said.

"There is a stream of the same kind of behavior," Weber said. "He poses a great threat to the community."

Jefferson pleaded guilty to burglary and indecent exposure in connection with the cases, which occurred in August 2002, July 2004 and August 2004.

"I take full responsibility," he told Denver District Judge Morris Hoffman on Monday.

Police might never have identified Jefferson as the intruder if it weren't for DNA found at the crime scenes. Investigators were able to create a profile based on the evidence.

Although they didn't have a name, prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant for the suspect in January 2005 because they were concerned that the statute of limitations for filing charges - three years - was about to expire.

Jefferson was identified as the suspect after he was convicted on another burglary charge in 2004 that required him to submit a DNA sample.

Defense attorney Katie Manzanares said that Jefferson has learned from his mistakes and is taking classes in prison designed to help sexual offenders.

Jefferson's conviction was made possible by the Denver DNA Cold Case Project - a joint partnership with the Denver Police Department and the Denver District Attorney's Office.