Davis

BACKGROUND

The victim, Hazel Dingman, was 84 years old when she was found dead in her home on July 5, 2012. She had been tied up, sexually assaulted, and brutally attacked. Her home was in disarray and items were missing. The facts underlying defendant’s convictions are largely undisputed. The critical issue at trial was identity. The defense theory was that defendant was not the person who murdered Dingman. The People relied on a variety of evidence connecting defendant to the murder, including STRmix evidence, which linked defendant to a bloody shoelace found next to Dingman’s body. We next summarize the pertinent facts surrounding the murder and subsequent investigation; we add more information as necessary later in the Discussion. The Property and Relevant Events Prior to The Murder Dingman lived on an approximately five-acre property on Downing Avenue in Stockton (the property). The property had multiple structures on it, including a house, a four-car garage with an attached shed, and an auto body shop. The property was just west of Interstate 5 and abutted a slough, which bordered the entire western portion of the property. The house was located in the southwestern portion…