> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # New suspect adds wrinkle to Harris case - URL: https://www.smdp.com/new-suspect-adds-wrinkle-to-harris-case/ - Published: 2004-12-17T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T05:48:39.000Z - Author: John Wood - Tags: Crime, Sunset Park, #archive-import *New police lineup could prove key to Harris’ fate* Alonzo Taylor is a three-strike criminal already behind bars; Olympic medalist remains in custody LAX COURTHOUSE — Authorities have identified a second suspect in the kidnappings of an elderly Santa Monica woman this fall, giving new hope to a former Olympic athlete jailed in connection with the violent crimes. DNA recovered from the kid-napper’s hat and shirt belongs to Alonzo Taylor, 40, a three-strike criminal who also stands accused of stealing a car in East Los Angeles two weeks after the 75-year-old resident of Sunset Park was kidnapped for the second and last time, police records show. The revelation was welcomed by 1984 Olympic silver medalist Danny Harris, 39, who has spent the last month in custody, charged with seven felony counts for the kidnappings. Trained bloodhounds led police to Harris using the scent from the kidnapper’s hat and shirt. Subsequent laboratory tests revealed the items contained the DNA of Taylor, who claimed not to know Harris. Lawyers said new lineups would be conducted with the second suspect. Three eyewitnesses positively identified Harris, including the victim, the victim’s neighbor, who chased the kidnap-per away with a handgun, and a nearby resident who saw the kid-napper shed his shirt as he fled. Taylor and Harris, who both are black, share physical traits. Taylor stands at 6 feet 4 inches and weighs 218 pounds. Harris is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 200 pounds, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records. Harris, who is being held in lieu of $1.44 million bail, faces seven felony counts for allegedly twice kidnapping the elderly woman, stealing from her, and threatening to kill her and burn down her house. The incidents occurred on Oct. 18 and Nov. 4\. Taylor was arrested Nov. 17 in East Los Angeles by California Highway Patrol officers and his bail was set at $100,000, according to the records. Despite the new DNA evidence, prosecutors have refused to drop the charges against Harris, pointing to eyewitness testimony and the possibility that Harris may have been acting with the aid of an accomplice. This past summer, Harris moved into the Clare Foundation off of Lincoln Boulevard, a nonprofit organization that assists recovering drug and alcohol addicts. He was barred from the Olympics in 1996 after testing positive for illegal substances and has struggled with a cocaine addiction for years. At a court hearing this week, family members claimed that Harris had recently put his life back together and was doing well. Joyce Harris, his sister and an administrative assistant in the state court system, said Danny Harris had been to her Compton home just weeks before his arrest and had taken out her children to buy them new clothes and other gifts. Another Harris sister, nursing assistant Wanda Burns, said she expected him at her San Bernardino home for Thanksgiving and was surprised when he didn’t show up. “He didn’t do this,” added Burns, outside the courtroom. “Danny was clean. He was good. Everyone was proud of him.” Joyce Harris said her brother was ordered by a judge this past summer to live at Clare after authorities cited him for riding a train without a ticket and found he had an outstanding warrant. That warrant was related to an earlier incident when Danny Harris was on drugs and stole items from her, Joyce Harris said. Still, Joyce Harris said her brother turned a corner in his life months ago and was clean. A former football player for Iowa State and track star who excelled in the 400-meter hurdles, Danny Harris worked as a personal trainer at Better Body Maker on Santa Monica Boulevard and also received royalty payments from a series of fitness tapes he made for athletes and children. It was colleagues that worked on those tapes who finally alerted the sisters that Danny Harris was in jail. The home telephones of both sisters block unlisted or collect calls, and Danny Harris couldn’t get through from jail, they said. When the sisters finally saw Danny Harris this week it was through a bulletproof glass window separating a holding cell from the courtroom. Danny Harris, hands bound and wearing a blue, jail-issue jumpsuit, repeatedly mouthed “I didn’t do it” and shook his head as his sisters sobbed. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Katherine Mader agreed to delay a preliminary hearing in the case until the new lineups are conducted. Matt Huey, Danny Harris’ public defender, said he was hesitant to proceed with the preliminary hearing because it would force prosecutors to build a case against Danny Harris that they would be unlikely to back away from. Huey is hopeful the new police lineups will exonerate his client. A preliminary trial for Harris has been set for Dec. 28. “He’s frustrated, he’s angry, he’s at a loss — as am I,” Huey said. “He thinks it ought to be dismissed, and it’s not... The next step is I’m continuing my investigation, but mainly we’re trying to set up a live lineup.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 17, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/121704.pdf?ref=smdp.com)