Estate of Kevin Brown v. City of San Diego

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 11 ESTATE OF BROWN, et al., Case No.: 15-cv-1583-DMS (WVG)

Plaintiffs,

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANTS’

v. MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL AND

RENEWED MOTION FOR

MICHAEL LAMBERT, et al.,

JUDGMENT AS A MATTER OF

Defendants. LAW 17 18 This case arises out of a “cold case” investigation into the 1984 murder of 14-year- old Claire Hough. Claire was brutally beaten, strangled to death, and mutilated with a knife. The initial investigation failed to produce any definitive leads, and the case went cold for nearly three decades. In 2012, the San Diego Police Department (“SDPD”) Cold Case Team asked the SDPD Crime Lab to perform further tests in light of advancements in DNA technology. Those tests revealed DNA from a convicted rapist, Ronald Tatro, in blood samples taken from Claire’s clothing. In addition, a combined sperm fraction taken from a vaginal swab from Claire’s body revealed trace amounts of semen from a second 27 …