Sarah Yarborough was a 16-year-old student at Federal Way High School in Washington. On December 14, 1991, she arrived at the school before a drill-team competition and was killed on a brush-covered hillside near the grounds. Investigators preserved biological evidence, but the case remained unresolved for decades.
Forensic genetic genealogy later helped investigators develop Patrick Leon Nicholas as a lead. Detectives recovered cigarette butts he discarded, and the Washington State Patrol crime laboratory compared that DNA with the preserved crime-scene profile. Nicholas was arrested in October 2019 and prosecuted in King County.
In 2023, a jury found Nicholas guilty of first-degree murder with sexual motivation. On May 25, 2023, the trial court imposed an exceptional sentence of 548 months, or 45 years and eight months. That term cannot be presented as the settled current sentence because Nicholas appealed it.
On May 5, 2025, the Washington Court of Appeals rejected his challenges to the conviction and otherwise affirmed, but remanded for resentencing after finding one stated basis for the exceptional sentence invalid. The first-degree-murder conviction therefore remains standing while the sentence is subject to the remand. No later docket-confirmed resentencing was located through the July 13, 2026 audit cutoff. The solved classification reflects the standing conviction; the ongoing warning is used as the closest available schema flag for the unresolved legal proceeding.
Sarah Yarborough was killed near Federal Way High School.
2019-10
Patrick Leon Nicholas was arrested after investigators linked his DNA to preserved evidence.
2023-05-25
Nicholas was convicted of first-degree murder with sexual motivation and originally sentenced to 548 months.
2025-05-05
The Washington Court of Appeals affirmed the conviction but remanded the exceptional sentence for resentencing.
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VIDEO
48 Hours / 42 min
The Hunt for Sarah Yarborough’s Killer | Full Episode
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Patrick Leon Nicholas
CONVICTED
Convicted of first-degree murder with sexual motivation; the conviction was affirmed in 2025 while the exceptional sentence was remanded for resentencing.
Sarah Yarborough
VICTIM
Sixteen-year-old Federal Way High School student killed on December 14, 1991.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Sarah Yarborough was killed near Federal Way High School in 1991; Patrick Leon Nicholas was convicted of first-degree murder, and a 2025 appellate ruling affirmed the conviction while remanding the exceptional sentence for resentencing.
Where did the murder happen?
Federal Way, Washington, United States.
Who was convicted?
Patrick Leon Nicholas (Convicted of first-degree murder with sexual motivation; the conviction was affirmed in 2025 while the exceptional sentence was remanded for resentencing.).
