In a grim revelation, Daniel Allen Aldrich, a 49-year-old Costa Mesa resident, has been charged with strangling his girlfriend, Julie Anne Sanetra, and attempting to conceal her body in a trashcan at his home. According to the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Aldrich now faces up to 26 years to life in prison on one felony murder count and an enhancement for the personal use of a weapon if convicted.
On October 20, Aldrich is alleged to have killed Sanetra following an argument after a night of drinking. After strangling her, Aldrich allegedly slit her wrist with a folding knife, watched television with her body nearby before going to bed, and later concealed her in a trash container. The victim's body was later discovered by landscapers, a disturbing endpoint to her life, which Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer described as "The callousness of this crime shocks the conscience," as reported by the District Attorney's Office.
The Senior Deputy District Attorney Nick Thomo, with the Homicide Unit, is prosecuting the case, which is set for arraignment on November 19. As per the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Aldrich's arraignment will take place at the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center.
