The 5th District Court of Appeals Upholds 2019 Dallas County Capital Murder Conviction
George Guo was convicted of murder in 1988 rape that led to Highland Park woman’s death
The 5th District Court of Appeals has upheld the Dallas County capital murder conviction and life sentence of former surgeon George Guo.
The case dates to the 1988 attack of Katherine Bascone in Highland Park. On Father’s Day, June 19, 1988, Ms. Bascone was raped, strangled, and left for dead. She survived the assault but suffered severe brain damage and lived in a vegetative state over the next three decades. Ms. Bascone ultimately passed away in February of 2018. An autopsy was performed, and it was determined her death was the result of the severe brain injury she suffered from the strangulation 30 years prior. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Mr. Guo was arrested in 2018 after DNA collected from the scene in 1988 was tested, linking him to the case. That work was thanks in part to the Dallas County Criminal District Attorney’s Office Cold Case Team (SAKI), as well as Department of Justice funding secured by Administrative Chief Amy Derrick and Cold Case Chief Leighton D’Antoni to test untested rape or sexual assault kits tied to Unsolved Homicide cases.
After a two-week trial in September of 2019, Mr. Guo was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. On January 27th, 2022, the 5th District Court of Appeals ruled that Mr. Guo indeed got a fair trial and that Ms. Bascone’s death was in fact related to the 1988 rape and attack.
Lead Prosecutor, Leighton D’Antoni told KRLD News Radio 1080 this is a solid ruling in reference to a complex case. “It had so many moving parts and people because it was a 30-year-old cold case,” D’Antoni said. “It was a delayed death, and it also included extraneous offense victims. Nobody who worked on this case had ever dealt with all three of those in the same case.”
Click here to view the full ruling from the 5th District Court of Appeals.
