American River Parkway murder suspect has little to say in first court appearance

A 37-year-old homeless man arrested last Friday for the brutal slaying of 20-year-old Emma Roark of Rancho Cordova near the American River Parkway made his first appearance in Sacramento County Superior County Tuesday. Mikilo Morgan Rawls entered Tuesday's courtroom appearance with little engagement. He reportedly only spoke to correct Ken Brody, Sacramento County Court Commissioner in the correct pronunciation of his name. Public defender John Buchholz made a request for all members of the media to be removed from the courtroom for the hearing and requested that photographs not show Rawls' face. The request was declined by Brody, who explained freedom of the press to the defendant's counsel and noted that Rawls' arrest photo has been circulated previously in the media. "His face has been seen in full color throughout Northern California and across the country," Brody said. "In legal parlance, I think that horse has left the barn." Tuesday's appearance was brief and a future hearing for Rawls was set for May 20. Bucholz and co-counsel Norm Dawson have reportedly yet to receive discovery evidence in the case. They reportedly met the defendant for the first time just moments before Tuesday's scheduled hearing. Rawls faces multiple charges filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney in what has been described by authorities as a "brutal sexual assault and homicide." Rawls faces charges of murder, along with several special circumstances that classify this as a capital case, meaning it could qualify for the death penalty. In addition to murder, additional charges include kidnapping, rape, sodomy and an allegation that the victim was bound or tied in the course of assault. Court documents indicate that Rawls has a prior criminal history of burglary and has been a known transient, living near the parkway over the course of five or more years. "The circumstances of this murder are horrific and our sympathies go out to Emma Roark's family," said District Attorney Ann Schubert. "I am incredibly proud of our Crime Lab criminalists who responded to the scene and dedicated every available resource to identify a responsible party." Roark, 20, who reportedly suffered from autism, was last seen alive Jan. 27 near when she left her Rancho Cordova home near Coloma Road and McGregor Drive to take a walk along the American River Parkway, something she enjoyed doing two to three times a week. After she didn't return home, a four-day search, with a focus on the American River Parkway, ensued. It was a tip from another member of the homeless community that led investigators to Rawls and what they described as the scene of a "brutal assault." It was two days into the search when Roark's father, Gabriel Roark, received a call from a man who was calling from the missing woman's cell phone. After contacting the authorities, Roark met the caller who was identified as Cedric Sandiford. After handing over the phone, Sandiford, a member of the homeless population, claimed he purchased the phone from Rawls, according to case court documents. Sandiford shared that Rawls warned him not to say where he got the phone. With the publicity of the search and missing person posters throughout the area, Sandiford contacted the family and later told authorities who he purchased it from and led them to the encampment near the river, where he had purchased the phone. As authorities continued the search, they discovered Roark's body on Feb. 1, obscured by a hanging tarp near a tent near the river. According to the reports, Roark's body was partially unclothed. The victim's legs and arms were tied with a rope that was pulled up and tied to the tree branches above. "This type of evil will not define the city of Rancho Cordova,"said Rancho Cordova Police Chief Brandon Luke. "Its citizens, the city government, its leaders and the Rancho Cordova Police Department stand committed in providing a safe environment for all our residents." According to the reports, the victim's cause of death was strangulation with a leash around her neck. She had been dragged and repeatedly sexually assaulted. DNA evidence obtained matched that of Rawls, who was subsequently arrested and held without bail. "We were able to get forensic evidence, match it to something that was in our database," said Luke. "I am confident, based off the technology and everything we have at the crime lab and the DA's office, we know Mr. Rawls is responsible for this brutal crime." The tragic crime has many in the area concerned about their safety along the American River Parkway and the trails that extend off it, spanning from downtown Sacramento up to Folsom. Deputy Chief Jim Barnes, of the Sheriff's Office, urges people to still take part in outdoor recreation but to always be aware of their surroundings. Roark's disappearance and murder has shaken many in the communities of Rancho Cordova, Gold River and Folsom that have used the American River Parkway that spans them and feel it is no longer safe (see related story). In Friday's press conference, Barnes spoke on that subject, noting that it's a beautiful recreation area but stressed that visitors need to always be aware of their surroundings there at all times. "We don't know when a crime like this is going to occur. This individual was transient. The Sheriff's Office is sympathetic to the transient population; we understand people are experiencing hard times. But there is evil amongst them and that's what Mr. Rawls was," Barnes said. "We have to be honest with ourselves; there's a population down there that will victimize people when there's an opportunity." Rawls pleaded no contest in 2018 to burglary and was sentenced to a year in custody and five years of probation. Online court records show he violated his probation twice, once in October 2020 and again in June 2021. He also pleaded no contest in June 2021 to a misdemeanor count of resisting an officer and was given a 105-day sentence, records show. While authorities are confident they have their suspect, the investigation in the case is ongoing. Investigators will continue to put the many leads and forms of evidence together to determine how Rawls and Roark came in contact with one another and the chain of events thereafter. "This type of violent crime tears at the fabric of community safety," said Chief Deputy Barnes. "I am proud of the Sheriff's Office personnel, which includes the Rancho Cordova Police Department, who stood tall to protect our community and brought resolution to this brutal crime. I also want to thank the Sacramento County District Attorney's Crime Lab for their collaboration on this investigation."