A Santa Ana man was sentenced to three years behind bars for choking a sex worker until she passed out and then robbing her, authorities said. Jose Eduardo Castro, 32, was convicted of second-degree robbery after the attack at a Buena Park hotel room on September 16, 2022.
According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office (OCDA), the victim was strangled by Castro after a disagreement over money. When she regained consciousness, she realized he had fled with her belongings. Buena Park Police Department quickly submitted DNA evidence from the scene to the OCDA's Rapid DNA Program, leading to Castro’s identification and arrest, as he was not previously in the FBI’s national CODIS DNA database.
The high-tech Rapid DNA Program delivered the match on September 29, 2022, less than two weeks after the crime, proving to be a vital piece in the puzzle for law enforcement. As stated in a press release from the OCDA, Castro was found guilty by a jury on February 29, 2024.
"Our RAPID DNA program has helped achieve justice for victims of crime faster than ever before by identifying suspects through the one piece of evidence that is uniquely – and undeniably – theirs and theirs alone," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. The program, funded by Proposition 69, has been broadly utilized by local law enforcement in Orange County since 2014. It can produce a DNA profile from crime scene evidence in under two hours, and is the result of collaboration between the OCDA, Orange County Crime Lab, and local police departments to leverage science for safer communities.
The success of this case highlights the effectiveness of the Rapid DNA Program, which combines state-of-the-art DNA technology with the expansive OCDA Local DNA Database. This synergistic approach has not only expedited the process of bringing perpetrators to justice but has reaffirmed the commitment of the OCDA and its partners to uphold the course of justice using innovative scientific advancements.
