People v. Vanderford CA3

FACTS AND HISTORY OF THE PROCEEDINGS

Defendant was tried with codefendant Kevin Etherton. Each had his own jury.

I

Prosecution’s Case in Chief

Murder of Dorothy Wiederrich

Dorothy Wiederrich lived alone in Lodi in 2016. At the time of her murder, she was 74 years old. Wiederrich’s son, Johnny B., visited Wiederrich each weekday from morning until the afternoon. Another son, William B., visited Wiederrich on Sundays. He would take her to church and then to lunch. Family and friends knew Wiederrich was “fairly well-off.” She lived in a nice neighborhood and drove a new car. She was a “pretty private person.” If an uninvited guest came to her house, she might speak through the door to the person, or she might ignore the knock completely. She would not open the door. Her family members would call her before going to her house and inform her they were coming. The house’s front door was secured by a dead-bolt lock operated by a digital keypad outside. Entering a code on the keypad would unlock the door. At the time of Wiederrich’s death, Johnny, William, William’s daughter Amber C., a housekeeper, and Katrina J. knew the code to open the door. Wiederrich had hired Katrina to…