DOUBLE-SLAYING TESTIMONY IS GRAPHIC.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer The bedroom of a Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. couple bludgeoned to death was so blood- splattered splat·ter v. splat·tered, splat·ter·ing, splat·ters v.tr. To spatter (something), especially to soil with splashes of liquid. v.intr. that investigators first thought the pair had been shot, a detective testified Tuesday in the murder trial of the 18-year-old defendant. Adam Sarabia, 18, is charged with two counts of murder and the special circumstances special circumstances n. in criminal cases, particularly homicides, actions of the accused or the situation under which the crime was committed for which state statutes allow or require imposition of a more severe punishment. of multiple murder in the October 2002 deaths of Joanne Wotkyns, 55, and John Ramirez, 59. ``I could see blood spattered spat·ter v. spat·tered, spat·ter·ing, spat·ters v.tr. 1. To scatter (a liquid) in drops or small splashes. 2. To spot, splash, or soil. 3. on the walls,'' Santa Paula police Detective Ismael Cordero testified. ``There was a large amount of blood on their bodies and on the bed.'' Sarabia, who is being tried as an adult, is accused of battering the couple with a baseball bat and slashing them with a knife so he could steal their Chevrolet Monte Carlo The Chevrolet Monte Carlo was an American mid-size car. Originally introduced by Chevrolet for the 1970 model year (as competition with the Ford Thunderbird), it has gone through six generations as of 2007. . The car was found abandoned in a parking lot a short distance from their home. Fingerprints and palm prints found on the Monte Carlo matched prints taken from Sarabia, a crime-scene technician testified. The eight prints that matched Sarabia's were lifted from the car's hood, trunk and driver's-side door, technician David Sellers said. Tennis shoes found in Sarabia's room 11 days after the killings appeared to have blood spattered on them, a district attorney's investigator testified. Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7602 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: SARABIA |
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