MAN ACCUSED OF A.V. SLAYING SET FOR RELEASE; CHARGES DROPPED IN STABBING CASE.

Byline: Bhavna Mistry Staff Writer

A 34-year-old Palmdale man charged with murdering a marijuana supplier and setting his body on fire was scheduled to be released from custody after a judge dismissed the case against him.

Antelope Municipal Court Judge Steven Ogden ruled Tuesday that the evidence against Joseph Bruce Hanson was insufficient to hold him for trial in the death of Javier Gomez Rodriguez, whose body - stabbed 16 times and blackened by fire - was found in June 1998 beneath a railroad bridge in Littlerock.

``There was absolutely no physical evidence that tied my client to the crime,'' Hanson's attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, said after the judge's ruling.

Much of the testimony during the preliminary hearing came from Hanson's former roommate, Jason Brock, who told the judge that he had witnessed a fight between Hanson and Rodriguez and later was asked by Hanson to help him dispose of a body.

A drug user who was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant for failure to appear in a domestic abuse case, Brock said he didn't tell authorities what he knew until he was arrested in San Diego for being under the influence of a controlled substance.

``The judge said that it was more likely that Mr. Brock was involved, which has been my client's position all along,'' Flanagan said outside court. ``The judge found him to be not credible due to the nature of his testimony and type of person.''

Hanson initially was arrested two months after Rodriguez's body was found, but released within days for insufficient evidence. He was rearrested in July after DNA tests indicated that a drop of blood found in the garage of the home he shared with Brock matched that of the victim.

The amount of blood found at the house is inconsistent with the amount of blood that would have been expected from wounds as severe as Rodriguez suffered, Flanagan said. There also was blood on rocks adjacent to where the body was found, he said.

Hanson came up as a suspect after homicide investigators released the victim's photo to the news media. That drew calls from people who gave names of people that the victim had dealings with.

During his preliminary hearing testimony, Brock said he was at home when Rodriguez came in June 1998 to visit Hanson, reportedly for a marijuana transaction. Brock said he ran to his girlfriend's house and spent the night there after the two began fighting.

Brock testified that Hanson called him later and asked him to help dispose of the body. ``He said that good friends help friends load bodies,'' Brock said. Brock testified he told Hanson that he was busy and hung up the phone.

Brock said that when he asked Hanson what had taken place, Hanson told him it was better that he didn't know and Brock testified he did not inquire any further.

Rodriguez's body was found June 19, 1998, behind a rock quarry near Avenue T by a man walking his dog and collecting cans.

An autopsy revealed that Rodriguez was stabbed up to 16 times - eight times in the neck and chest, including three wounds that penetrated his heart. Wounds on his hands indicated that he had been involved in a fight prior to his death, officials said.

Authorities described Rodriguez as a marijuana wholesaler and Hanson as one of the low-level dealers he supplied. Rodriguez was initially identified as Luis Alcala Gomez, a false name he had provided the Los Angeles Police Department after being arrested in 1995.

His true identity was learned later through fingerprints.