A trail of blood that ran from a Chelsea man’s apartment, down four flights of stairs and out his front door, has finally led to a conviction in his killing — nearly 25 years later.

Gordon Francis, 60, was found guilty Wednesday in the killing of James Hawkins, a 50-year-old family counselor who was discovered stabbed 25 times in his West 20th Street apartment in 1993, officials said.

Francis was arrested in 2012 after improved DNA testing of blood that had sat in evidence storage since the day the murderer fled the scene helped cops identify the convicted rapist in the killing.

“Cold cases should never become forgotten cases,” said District Attorney Cyrus Vance. “As forensic science accelerates forward, law enforcement has new opportunities to ensure that previously unresolved cases are examined with the same care and technology as newer cases. I thank our prosecutors and partners in law enforcement for their years-long commitment to obtain justice for Mr. Hawkins and his family.”

Francis, who was 35 at the time of the slaying, had only been on parole for about three months after serving prison time for a 1983 Manhattan rape, robbery and kidnapping.

Among the sleuths who worked on the case were NYPD Detectives Wendell Stradford and John Fogelman, and Manhattan DA’s office Detective Siobhan Berry.