Looking Back At The 'Sweetheart Murders' Case

In the winter of 1980, two UC Davis freshmen, John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves, were abducted and murdered. The case became known as the "sweetheart murders."

CBS13 did two stories on the case back in 2006 titled, "Justice Waits," before the couple's killer was brought to justice.

Here are the reports: Watch Part 1 | Watch Part 2

After over a decade, Richard Hirschfield, 63, was convicted of the killing the two in November 2012. A break in the case came in 2002 when a DNA test on semen collected from a blanket in Riggins' van came back to Hirschfield.

However, it wasn't just DNA evidence that convinced the jury, but a note from Hirschfield's brother Joseph, who wrote about being at the scene of the crime, before he committed suicide.

Hirchfield sits on death row.

CBS' 48 Hours was in Sacramento and reports on the case tonight at 9 p.m.