Community Corner
Man Who Slept With Girlfriend’s Corpse Convicted of Murder, Marin Whooping Cough Spike, Woman Injured in Motorcycle Crash with Deer
Plus, a bomb-making suspect recalled as "weird" and "quiet" was among the top Patch stories around the greater Bay Area on Monday.
By Genevieve Bookwalter
Welcome to Monday’s greater Bay Area Patch roundup.
The big news today came from Santa Cruz Patch, where a man was found guilty of murder after prosecutors alleged he killed his girlfriend and then slept with her corpse for two weeks. From the story:
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“After three weeks of trial, Vietnam veteran John Clauer, 66, was found guilty Monday of murdering his alcoholic girlfriend, Heather Stearns, 30, two years ago in their East Cliff Drive apartment.”
“In a particularly gruesome case, Clauer kept Stearns's body in his bed for two and a half weeks until neighbors complained about the terrible smell and went inside and found the body.”
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“Neighbors said they heard a faint cry for help and sounds of a struggle and stomping from the apartment, but didn't call police. They said fights and shouting were typical from the couple. Prosecutor Jeff Rosell said Clauer supplied alcohol in return for sex from Stearns and killed her after a car he had put in her name was towed away.”
“Defense attorney Zach Schwartzbach argued that DNA found under Stearn's fingernail pointed to another killer.”
“Moments after the verdict was announced by the eight-woman, four-man jury, Stearn's mother posted a plea on a Facebook site called For the Love of Heather Stearns to the community to report crimes they suspect and lamented that no one came out to support Stearns.”
More top Patch headlines from the region include:
Marin Whooping Cough Spike Alarms Health Officials
Motorcyclist Hospitalized After Collision with Deer
Classmates Say Bomb-building Suspect-Was-'Weird' and-'Quiet'
Masseur Says He Knew Having Sex With Client Would Cost Him His Job
Albany Girl, 10, Hit in Crosswalk, Leg Fractured
Los Gatos' Albright Way/Netflix Office Park Initiative Qualifies For June Ballot
County Parks to 'Thin' Cypress Forest at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Arrest Made in Redcoats Pub Shooting Thanks to 'Valuable Leads' from Public
Giants Reliever Jeremy Affeldt Helps the Poor in East Palo Alto
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