Crime & Law Stories for January 2012
Stories for Monday, January 23
Naso ordered to stand trial on serial murder charges
A Marin County Superior Court judge Monday ordered accused serial killer Joseph Naso to stand trial on charges that he murdered four women between 1977 and 1994. Judge Andrew Sweet also held Naso, 78, to answer to enhancements on those charges for allegedly committing multiple murders. The charges made Naso ...
SF sheriff's domestic violence trial set for February
San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi was ordered to stand trial next month on misdemeanor domestic violence charges stemming from a New Year's Eve dispute with his wife. Mirkarimi had requested a speedy trial in his hearing Monday morning, saying he wanted to reunite soon with his wife and child, whom ...
Newark burglary suspect dies of crash injuries
One of three burglary suspects involved in a crash that killed another driver in Newark last week has died, police announced Monday. Rajwaun Watkins, 20, of Oakland, was pronounced dead Friday evening at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, where he was taken in critical condition after the Wednesday morning ...
SF assistant district attorney arrested on domestic violence charge
A San Francisco prosecutor who was arrested for investigation of domestic violence is free after posting bail. Authorities said assistant district attorney 34-year-olde Sanaz Nikaein was booked Saturday. District attorney's spokeswoman Stephanie Ong Stillman says the state attorney general will handle the case to avoid a potential conflict of interest. ...
Stories for Sunday, January 22
Union City police search for driver in fatal hit-and-run
Police in Union City were searching for the driver of a vehicle that fatally struck a man in the city Sunday morning, police said. Officers responded to a report of a man down on Alvarado Niles Rd. near Union Square at about 6:10 a.m., according to Union City police. Arriving ...
Six injured in Antioch 'Sweet 16' shooting spree
Six were injured when a shootout broke out at a sweet sixteen party in Antioch on Saturday night, police said. Police responded to reports of a shooting at a residence in the 5000 block of Wilmont Court shortly after 10:30 p.m. The calls indicated that there were 70 to 80 ...
Stories for Friday, January 20
Prosecutors rest their case at Naso Serial Murder preliminary hearing
Prosecutors on Friday called suspected serial murderer Joseph Naso a "sexual deviant" who drugged his victims before he photographed them, strangled them to death and dumped their naked bodies in rural Northern California areas. In a short, concise closing argument following more than a week of testimony, Marin County prosecutor ...
Cops OK search for 'Speed Freak Killers' victims
Authorities have decided to move forward with plans to transport a convicted serial killer to California's Central Valley, where he says a dozen or more victims are buried. Death row inmate Wesley Shermantine is offering the information after a bounty hunter struck a deal to pay him more than $30,000. ...
Not guilty plea in the Michelle Le murder case
Giselle Esteban pleaded not guilty Friday to a charge that she murdered nursing student Michelle Le, who disappeared in Hayward last May and whose body was found in September. Le, a 26-year-old San Mateo woman who was attending Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, disappeared from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in ...
Sunnyvale school locked down after phone threats
A Sunnyvale elementary school was locked down Friday after three threatening calls were made to the school's office, authorities said. The principal of San Miguel Elementary, located at 777 San Miguel Ave., received three threatening calls shortly after school started for the day at 8 a.m., Sunnyvale School District Assistant ...
More victims found in Martinez child molestation case
A California school janitor is now facing 20 felony child molestation counts after discovery of more victims. Contra Costa County prosecutor Ryan Wagner says 44-year-old John Astor pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday. Astor is in jail with bail set at $3 million. The Contra Costa Times says ...
Man killed in SF Bayview District shooting
A man who was killed in a shooting in San Francisco's Bayview District on Thursday night has been identified by the medical examiner's office as 30-year-old Rory Jones. The shooting was reported at about 8:25 p.m. at Revere Avenue and Jennings Street. Jones was sitting in his car when a ...
Suspect arrested in San Leandro police shooting
A man who allegedly opened fire on an undercover San Leandro police office and then drove away from the scene has been arrested, authorities announced Friday. San Leandro police said they have arrested Matthew Nguyen for the attempted murder of a police officer. Nguyen was taken into custody in ...
San Jose girl’s abduction ends with dramatic police shootout with suspect
An 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped at gunpoint from a home in San Jose was found safe Friday afternoon and police shot and killed the man who kidnapped her early Friday morning. The girl was safely located at about 12:15 p.m. in the 3400 block of Pistachio Drive, police Sgt. ...
Stories for Thursday, January 19
Suspect riddles San Leandro police car with a hail of bullets
A male suspect shot multiple rounds at an undercover police officer in an unmarked car Wednesday night in San Leandro before eluding capture in a dark-colored car, police said. Around 9:20 p.m. undercover San Leandro police detectives were in the area of Anza Way and Aloha Drive conducting surveillance for ...
Oakland woman dies of beating injuries; Son may face murder charge
An Oakland man is expected to be charged with murder after his mother died on Sunday from injuries she sustained when he allegedly beat her in November, authorities said Thursday. Shinichi Daniel Tessien, 38, initially was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse for allegedly attacking his ...
Santa Rosa police investigate gang connection to hit-and-run accident
A hit-and-run involving a pedestrian on a Santa Rosa street Wednesday afternoon appears to have been an intentional, gang-related act, Santa Rosa police said. Around 4 p.m., officers learned that a group of people on foot had gotten into a confrontation with several people in an SUV, police said. The ...
Wayward driver triggers SF commuter nightmare
A driver drove into a MUNI Metro subway tunnel early Thursday, stalling his SUV about half a mile down the tracks, triggering a mass transit nightmare for San Francisco commuters. Scott Mitchell, 40, of Sebastapol, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving on train tracks and failure ...
Stories for Wednesday, January 18
Naso's DNA 'likely' match to semen sample taken from murder victim's pantyhose
A criminalist testified Wednesday morning that DNA found on pantyhose worn by a murder victim whose body was found in Marin County in 1977 contained semen that is likely that of Joseph Naso. Contra Costa County sheriff's Deputy Tuan Nguyen, a criminalist who processed and examined the DNA, also said ...
One dead, three injured in Newark burglary suspect crash
One person was killed, three others injured Wednesday when a vehicle driven by a burglary suspect slammed into a car while fleeing police, authorities said. Newark Commander Bob Douglas said the incident began with the call of a residential burglary around 10 a.m. “A neighbor witness saw three suspects door ...
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