A man accused of a domestic violence-related killing and dismemberment of his girlfriend in Pleasanton, California, Joseph Roberts, faced a jury's final decision on Monday. Roberts was convicted of second-degree murder for the brutal killing of Rachel "Imani" Buckner, a 27-year-old law school graduate whose mutilated torso was shockingly discovered along the Alameda shoreline, as reported by SFist.
The Alameda County jury ended deliberations after several days, finding Roberts guilty of a crime described as heinously meticulous, despite relying on predominantly circumstantial evidence. The jury's decision will land Roberts a potential 15 year to life prison sentence, set to be decided on June 14. After the body turned up wrapped in plastic and duct tape nearly a year ago, a continued search failed to recover Buckner's head, hands, and feet, a detail that vividly highlighted the gruesomeness of the crime as per Mercury News.
In the days following Buckner's murder, which prosecutors argue occurred in the accused's apartment, points were raised about the thorough cleaning of the apartment with Fabuloso and the removal of carpeting after falling behind on rent. Having met at Golden Gate University while studying law, the couple's relationship, riddled with domestic violence, escalated into Roberts' violent outbursts getting attention but no action from the police. Despite 17 prior reports to Pleasanton police about loud arguments, little was done to intervene, leading to Deputy District Attorney Colleen Clark to sharply criticize the law enforcement response, according to SFist.
Throughout the trial, revelations about Roberts's former advocacy against the #MeToo movement and personal editorials decrying false accusations of harassment brought a stark contrast to the man eventually held accountable for this violent act. This historical irony, however, played no official part in the jury's discussions as they assessed the cell phone evidence that positioned Roberts near the site where Buckner's remains surfaced and the DNA evidence linking him to the crime, disclosed by Mercury News.
The discovery of Buckner's remains had initially sparked an extensive collaborative investigation among local and federal law enforcement, as recounted by Hoodline. However, it took nearly two months after the discovery for DNA evidence to formally identify the victim, adding prolonged agony to Buckner's family and leaving the Pleasanton community grappling with the harsh realities of domestic violence lurking beneath the surface of everyday life.
