People v. Alamillo CA2/6

FACTS

On October 14, 1993, at 4:18 a.m., the police responded to a call from a house in Santa Paula. Police found the bodies of Armando Cauich and Adriana Meza lying on a bed. The two- year-old daughter of Meza and Alamillo was crying and trying to get Meza to hold her. Meza and Alamillo were married but separated. Meza had been shot three times in the back at close range. Cauich had been shot twice in the head at close range. There was no sign of a struggle or forced entry. The back door was partially open. Alamillo’s fingerprints were found on the doorknob. Alamillo’s car was parked nearby. It would not start because its battery was dead. Two unfired .22-caliber bullets were found in Alamillo’s home. The bullets were of the type recovered from Meza’s and Cauich’s bodies. On October 12, 1993, Alamillo withdrew $1,000 from his savings account and cashed two checks worth $1,097. Alamillo had not shown up for work since the murders, did not pick up his paycheck, cash in his vacation hours, or retrieve money from his retirement account. At the time, Alamillo had been living with his cousin. The last time his cousin saw him was between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. the night before the…