* San Jose Man Edward Dees, 60, Will Stand Trial For The 1975 Rape And Murder Of Sandra Howard
Published by Staff Writer on June 11, 2009
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge today ruled there is sufficient evidence to hold a man to stand trial for the 1975 rape and murder of a San Jose woman.Edward Dees, 60, is charged with the long-unsolved killing of Sandra Howard on April 21, 1975.At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing that began in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Monday, a June 22 arraignment date was set.Howard was a 23-year-old newlywed who lived with her husband in the 200 block of Richfield Drive in San Jose. After she failed to show up to her job as a teacher at a local kindergarten, police found her in her apartment, lying on her bed strangled with a necktie and stabbed with a knife, according to prosecutor Jeff Rosen.Investigators found semen stains on the sheets, according to Rosen, but DNA testing did not exist at the time.In recent years, San Jose investigators began re-examining the physical evidence from cold cases, in hopes of finding new leads in DNA samples. Technicians examined evidence from Howard’s case and on Dec. 14, 2006, reported a match with Dees, according to San Jose police reports. Dees’ information was in the state database as a result of his prior felony convictions. He has been in custody since 1975 on multiple rape convictions, according to Rosen. Dees has pleaded not guilty to Howard’s murder.
Copyright © 2009 by Bay City News, Inc. — Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
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