DNA proof results in homicide cost 30 years after Claudia Guevara killing

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Almost three many years after a 23-year-old lady was discovered stabbed to demise in a drainage ditch in Azusa, California , prosecutors introduced prices Monday in opposition to a 63-year-old man in a long-cold murder case that investigators mentioned was solved by way of DNA proof.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney ’s Workplace mentioned Brian Walton was charged with one depend of homicide, with particular circumstance allegations that the killing of Claudia Guevara occurred throughout the fee of rape and sodomy.

"The sufferer’s household has waited for an agonizing 30 years to get that decision to allow them to know their liked one’s killer had been discovered and charged," Los Angeles County District Legal professional Nathan Hochman mentioned in a press release.

"Whereas this was categorized as a cold case , investigators and prosecutors by no means stopped of their relentless pursuit of justice, reaffirming our dedication to holding individuals accountable for the crimes they're accused of committing," he added.

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L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna, proper, listens as Los Angeles District Legal professional Nathan Hochman speaks throughout a information convention in Los Angeles, California, on Feb. 3, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photos)

Guevara, who was reported lacking by her brother on Feb. 20, 1996, was final seen at a bus cease in El Monte. She had been dropped off by two co-workers and was never seen again .

Her nude physique was discovered the next day in a drainage ditch close to Encanto Parkway, the place investigators decided she had been sexually assaulted and stabbed within the neck.

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Sunshine lights up Bunker Hill and Los Angeles’ monetary district after morning showers, seen from a rooftop alongside Spring Road on Sept. 10, 1996. (Ken Lubas/Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photos)

Hochman’s workplace mentioned DNA evidence linked Walton, who didn't know the sufferer, to the crime.

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Jail data from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Division reviewed by Fox Information Digital present that Walton was arrested on Feb. 5 and is being held with out bail.

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His subsequent court docket look is scheduled for March 18 at 8:30 a.m.

If convicted , Walton faces life in jail with out the potential of parole, or the demise penalty, although prosecutors mentioned a call on whether or not to hunt capital punishment might be made later.