Man charged with 4-year old Humble burglary after DNA match

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Humble homeowner was surprised when he got a call his 2014 burglary case was solved through DNA.

Harris County Precinct Four deputies said when they respond to burglary crimes, they use dust, check for fingerprints, and collect other DNA.

In this case, they found blood.

They sent it to the lab, and nearly four years to the date, they got a match.

Deputies said the hit was linked to Keith Sills, who is currently behind bars for burglary.

When he gets out, he could face even more time for the same crime, a burglary that took place at Rudy Velazquez's home.

"I was 100 percent surprised," Velasquez said. "I was like, this was four years later. I barely remembered what happened, and come to find out they actually caught the guy."

Velasquez said he remembers July 18th, 2014 well.

"I was coming back from my job, and when I got here I saw that my side gate was open," Velasquez said. "I didn't think nothing of it, really. I opened my door and I saw that there was glass shattered across my kitchen."

It wasn't until he got upstairs when Velasquez knew he had a problem.

"My electronics were missing," Velasquez said. "A bunch of my kids' stuff was missing. I was like, oh, somebody actually ended up breaking in."

It wasn't just the crime he remembers, but how deputies handled the scene.

"He was like, 'Is that your blood?' I was like, 'No I didn't cut myself,' Velasquez said. "He was like, 'Oh, this is some DNA. Let's go ahead and pack this up and send it in.'"

Because Sills is in prison, deputies said his DNA was entered into CODIS, which is how they got a match.

Deputies said he'll be charged with burglary when he gets out.

Velasquez is thrilled a match was made, but still wonders what happened to his stolen electronics.

"I'm happy they caught him," Velasquez said. "I feel bad because, of course, somebody is affected by it. His family has to be affected by the things he did. The choices he made. I'm upset I didn't get my stuff but it's four years ago."

Because of this, Velasquez and his neighbors installed security systems.

This way if the burglar strikes again, they won't have to depend on a DNA match.