A Calif. man has been charged with murder after his girlfriend was found dead in a trash can at his home by landscapers hired to work on the property.
Daniel Allen Aldrich, 49, of Costa Mesa, has been accused of strangling his girlfriend, Julie Anne Sanetra, 38, from Irvine, to death and slitting her wrist with a folding knife after a night of drinking on Sunday, Oct. 20, per a Monday, Oct. 28 press release shared on the Orange County District Attorney’s office website.
Aldrich has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of the personal use of a weapon, per the release, after Sanetra’s body was “found by landscapers hired to mow the property’s lawn” on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The landscapers called the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD) after discovering “Sanetra’s body partially outside of the trash can when they arrived at the residence,” per the release. A previous CMPD post confirmed the body was discovered just before 2:30 p.m. local time.
Per the latest Orange County District Attorney’s office release, Aldrich has been accused of “leaving Sanetra’s body on the couch while he watched television before going to bed” on Oct. 20 after allegedly killing her following an argument.
“The next day, Aldrich is accused of dragging Sanetra’s body outside and stuffing her body inside of a trash can, on the side of the house. Aldrich is accused of going back inside, packing a bag, and then driving to his mother’s home in Glendale,” the release read, confirming Aldrich was later arrested at his mom’s property.
The suspect faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life if convicted on all charges, authorities confirmed. “He is currently being held in lieu of $1 million bail,” the release added.
“Julie Sanetra did not deserve to be strangled and stuffed into a trash can like a piece of garbage,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said, according to the post.
“The callousness of this crime shocks the conscience, and we will do everything to get justice for Julie and her loved ones,” Spitzer added.
Aldrich’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 19 at the Stephen K. Tamura Justice Center in Westminster, Calif.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
After news of Sanetra’s death was reported last week, Costa Mesa police Deputy Chief, Joyce LaPointe, told local ABC affiliate KABC-TV that you wouldn’t expect such a thing to happen in the area.
“It’s a nice residential area,” LaPointe told the outlet. “This is something that we don’t see very often here.”
