SEATTLE - Seattle Police say the suspect arrested today in the New Year's Eve murder of Shannon Harps was already in custody at the King County Jail when they tracked him down.

Police say they received confirmation at noon today from the Washington State Patrol crime lab that they found a DNA match to 48-year-old James Anthony Williams.  He is being interviewed by Seattle Police detectives and has been booked for investigation of homicide.

Harps, 31, was stabbed to death outside her Capitol Hill neighborhood condominium. Detectives believe Williams and Harps did not know each other.

"I'm pretty certain, and our detectives can confirm this, that this was a stranger-to-stranger homicide.  That there was no previous connection nor relationship nor any kind of previous contact to our knowledge," said Seattle Police Deputy Chief Clark Kimerer.

Williams has a long and violent history.  In 1995, he shot a man at a Seattle bus stop, to which he was sentenced to 11 years in prison.  Prosecutors considered a life sentence for Williams as a three strikes candidate, but his out of state convictions were not enough to qualify him.

In 1990, he was convicted for assault and battery.  His record includes a forgery conviction in 1986, a drug charge in 1985 and burglary and theft in the 1970's.

Williams was arrested at least three times in 2007 for probation violations, including not checking in with a mental health provider.  That's the reason he was taken back into custody January 18.

Williams lived about ten blocks from the murder scene in an apartment building on Summit Avenue.

"I seen him coming and going. I never talked to him or anything," said one neighbor.

KING

Shannon Harps, 31, moved to Seattle about three years ago from Columbus, Ohio, to work in the Sierra Club's regional office.

Williams bears little resemblance to a person of interest sketch released by Seattle Police three days after the murder.  Williams is not the man widely reported on last week, who police considered a person of interest. That man was already in custody as well, and was ruled out by DNA.

Police say Williams' DNA matches DNA found at the scene. Police brought him in for questioning but did not have enough to hold him.  He voluntarily gave a DNA sample.

The Dec. 31 assault was reported at 15th Avenue and East Howell Street. Harps was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she died.

Harps' aunt says it has been an emotional coaster, first learning of the man who police questioned last week, then finding out he was not a DNA match to the crime, then learning about today's arrest.  She says it bring some relief and consolation that no other family will have to suffer.

Shannon Harps' co-workers at the Sierra Club welcomed news of the arrest.

"I think it does provide some sort of relief, and I think, sadly it will take a while, if ever, to get back to some sort of normal feeling.  But, I think this will help," said Dan Ritzman.

Seattle Police Dept.

Police released this sketch of a person of interest three days after Shannon Harps' murder.

Capitol Hill residents still shaken, even after arrest

Shortly after news of the arrest, people brought more flowers to the place where Harps was killed.  One of those, Wesea Anderson, says she doesn't recognize Williams, but says people in the area feared all along that it was a random attack.

"We were really… girls, guys, whatever… we were all really frightened that there was some random guy walking around hurting people.  And, she (Harps) was inches from safety, and I can see it from where I live, I can see this spot and it scares me," said Anderson.

For Pam and Jim Garland, a walk through their Capitol Hill neighborhood is now a little easier.

It's a relief, but we are not going to let our guard down. We are always going to keep an eye on our surroundings," said Pam.

Still haunted by the sounds of the murder, the couple says the randomness of Harps' death brings new depth to the horror.

"Very much so,  that there didn't seem to be a link to Shannon at all, so yes that was very disturbing," said Jim.

Friday night, people walking on Capitol Hill seemed to stay to the brighter side of the street, walking in pairs.

"People have been on edge ever since it has happened and for people here to know that, they are a little bit more safe to walk around. So, I think people have been going around in buddy systems and they need to continue doing that," said resident Steven Ross.

(KING 5's Susannah Frame, Elisa Hahn and Jim Forman contributed to this report.)