People v. Peterson CA3

FACTS

This was a cold case murder, solved by a DNA match. On November 5, 1992, police arrived at John Arana’s house, to find his body in the bedroom, with blood in various locations in the house. The kitchen sinks were filled with reddish water and contained items including knives, sexual lubricant, and homosexual pornographic magazines with Nazi symbols apparently drawn on them. The toilet had discarded bandages in it. There were no signs of forced entry. A friend of Arana’s testified he knew Arana sometimes combined cocaine use with sexual behavior. Arana’s tenant, in a house behind Arana’s, reported hearing blunt noises like something hitting the wall. Arana’s TV, VCR, answering machine, wallet, and truck were missing. The truck was found three days later, wiped clean. The pathologist found 28 stab wounds, from a knife five inches long or greater, but no hilt marks, which are typically caused when a knife with a hand guard is plunged fully into a body. In stabbings where a knife with no hand guard is used, the assailant’s hand can easily slip off the handle and he or she is then cut with his or her own knife. A criminalist and a detective testified in accord. The pathologist…