A California Army veteran has been charged with the 1981 homicide of 2 ladies in a chilly case. Upcoming 39 years of investigation, a suspect has been recognized via DNA proof. The suspect, 76-year-old Kenneth Clair, is accused of killing two younger ladies in distant incidents in 1981. Clair used to be reportedly arrested with out incident at his house in San Pedro on April 8 and is recently being held within the Los Angeles County Prison. If convicted, Clair may face a sentence of occasion in jail with out parole.
A Southern California guy used to be charged Thursday with the 1981 murders of 2 ladies nearest DNA proof related him to the crimes, prosecutors mentioned Thursday.
Tony Garcia, 68, of Oxnard gave the impression in courtroom however his arraignment persevered via Feb. 23, the Ventura County District Lawyer’s Place of work mentioned in a remark.
It used to be now not straight away sunny if he had an lawyer to talk on his behalf.
Garcia, a Army veteran and previous martial arts coach, is accused of kidnapping, raping and strangling 20-year-old Rachel Zendejas in Camarillo in January 1981 and strangling 21-year-old Lisa Gondek in Oxnard in December 1981.
Zendejas used to be discovered useless in a carport in Camarillo, government mentioned.
Oxnard Police Leading Jason Benitez mentioned Gondek used to be discovered nearest a reported rental fireplace.
“Staff responded to the scene and extinguished the fire, but they located Lisa’s deceased body in the bathtub, in the bathroom,” he mentioned at a press convention on Thursday.
Oxnard and Camarillo are each in Ventura County.
Garcia lived for many years only some miles from the crime scenes till he used to be in spite of everything related to the murders, government mentioned.
“The fact is, this suspect has been hiding in plain sight for over 40 years,” Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff mentioned.
In 2004, investigators enthusiastic that the similar particular person had killed the ladies however may now not discover a DNA fit in a legislation enforcement database.
Government mentioned Garcia turned into a suspect in 2019 nearest chilly case investigators grew to become to family tree DNA, which compares crime scene DNA with business databases that would come with submitted profiles. by way of family members of the killer.
Garcia is charged with two counts of homicide with particular allegations that they have been more than one murders and one concerned kidnapping and rape.
The district lawyer’s place of business has now not determined whether or not to hunt the loss of life penalty or occasion in jail with out parole.
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