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deadly weapon and infliction of great bodily injury.Sessing was tried as an adult and sentenced to life inprison without the possibility of parole.PEOPLE V. SOCORRO CAROMultiple MurderProsecutors: James Ellison and Cheryl TempleInvestigator: Michael BarnesOn the evening of November 22, 1999, thedefendant, 42-year-old Socorro Caro, got into aheated argument with her husband, Dr. Xavier Caro.The Caros’ relationship had deteriorated significantlyduring 1999 and their arguments, on occasion, hadevolved into physical fights. After the argument onthis particular evening, Dr. Caro left the family homeand drove to his officein Northridge. Whilehe was gone, thedefendant took a .38revolver and enteredthe bedrooms wherethree of their children(aged 11, 8, and 5)were asleep in theirbeds. She shot andkilled them, then shotherself once in theSenior Attorneys Cheryl Temple andhead.The shootingsChrystina Jensonwere discoveredby Dr. Caro whenhe arrived home. The defendant was airlifted toLos Robles Regional Medical Center, where she wastreated for her gunshot wound and survived.The defendant was convicted of three counts offirst degree premeditated murder with a specialcircumstance of committing more than one murder.On April 5, 2002, she was sentenced to death.PEOPLE V. VINCENT HENRY SANCHEZ[Kidnapping, Attempted Rape, Murder]Prosecutors: Lela Henke-Dobroth, Dee CoronaInvestigators: Richard Haas, Dave WilliamsVictim Advocate: Catherine DugganOn July 5, 2001, Megan Barroso’s vehicle was foundnear her apartment, riddled with bullet holes. Smallamounts of Megan’s blood were on the front seat.The driver’s side of the vehicle had extensive scrapes.A month later, Megan’s remains were located in asecluded canyon in Simi Valley. She had been shotonce in the left side.In mid-July 2001, Vincent Henry Sanchez of Simi Valley was arrested for burglary. While in custody, Sanchez asked a roommate to destroy the contents of aplastic bag. The roommate found photos of partiallynude women and video tapes. He played one of thevideos, which depicted Sanchez raping a woman,and called the Simi Valley Police Department. Policeofficers searched Sanchez’s home and found evidence that Sanchez was a serial rapist.Detectives seized Sanchez’s Ford Ranger truck andconfirmed that paint fragments from the scrapes onMegan Barroso’s car came from the truck. Blood,which proved to be Megan’s, was found in the cab.Additionally, Simi Valley police officers discovered agreen jacket that matched the description of thejacket Megan had worn on July 5. The jacket hadsmall blood spots on it, and a bullet hole in the leftside.Sanchez was charged with the kidnapping,attempted rape, and murder of Megan Barroso. Hewas also indicted on 71 additional counts, includingsexual assaults, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, andcarjacking. In September 2003, a jury found Sanchezguilty of Megan Barroso’s murder and sentenced himto death.9

PEOPLE V. MICHAEL JOSEPH SCHULTZ[Rape, Murder]Prosecutor: Michael K. Frawley,Richard SimonInvestigator: Dennis FitzgeraldOn August 5, 1993, Michael Schultz,formerly a resident of Ventura, enteredthe Port Hueneme condominium ofCynthia Burger, where he raped Ms.Burger and strangled her to death.He then placed her body face downin a bathtub full of water, bleach,and other household chemicals,disconnected the smoke detectorsin the home, and set fire to Ms.Burger’s bed.had been savagely beatenwith a blunt instrumentand had received multiplestab and slash wounds. Thecouple’s Pontiac GrandPrix was missing, as wasMs. Wotkyns’s cell phone.Adam Sarabia, 17, wasseen driving around townin the Pontiac. He callednumerous friends usingWo t k y n s ’ s c e l l p h o n e .Investigators from the DA’sSenior Attorney Scott Hendricksonoffice went to the Sarabiafamily home. InvestigatorDan Thompson noticed small flecks of whatappeared to be blood spatter on a sweatshirt thatSarabia was wearing. Investigator Ed Smith found aThe murder went unsolved until August 2000, whenpair of shoes hidden under Sarabia’s bed that hada witness informed law enforcement that SchultzJohn Ramirez’s blood on them. Investigator Dennishad solicited her help to escape from prison, wherePeet found a baseball bat in the garage that hadhe was serving a sentence for burglary and assaultvisible blood spatter which matched both victims.on police officers. Schultz had indicated an urgentneed to escape before authorities took a bloodSarabia was charged as an adult and convicted ofsample from him which would enable his DNA to beresidential burglary, auto theft, and two counts ofcompared to evidence left at the scene of the rapefirst degree murder with special circumstances. Heand murder.was sentenced to life in prison without the possibilityof parole. His age precluded seeking the deathSchultz’s DNA was compared to semen left at thepenalty.scene of the crime and he was confirmed as therapist and murderer. The Ventura County DistrictAttorney’s Office arrested Schultz in November2000. A jury convicted Shultz and sentenced him toPEOPLE V. ROBERT ALAN COFFMANdeath.[Attempted Murder, Murder]Prosecutor: Stacy RatnerInvestigator: John BunchPEOPLE V. ADAM SARABIA[Burglary, Auto Theft, Murder]Prosecutor: Richard SimonInvestigators: Dan Thompson, Ed Smith,Dennis PeetVictim Advocate: Linda FinnertyOn October 21, 2002, John Ramirez failed to show upfor work, and the family of Joanne Wotkyns reportedthey had not heard from her. Santa Paula Policeofficers went to the couple’s home and discoveredthe bodies of both victims in their bedroom. They10On June 30, 2001, Robert Coffman went to the VenturaRiver bottom in Ventura. Coffman, a skinhead gangmember, drank beer and smoked marijuana withseveral friends. They rode bikes around until theycame upon the first victim, James Clark, a homelessman who frequented the area.Coffman approached Clark and asked for acigarette. He then stole Clark’s backpack andransacked it. He and the others then attacked Clark,kicking and stomping him. By all accounts, Coffmanwas the most aggressive, exacting the most damage

on the victim by stomping on his head over and overagain.After the attack, Coffman and his friends went to thebeach to party. Mr. Clark died of blunt force traumato the head. The coroner testified that he was struckin the head at least 10 times.counts, including special circumstance. On May 5,2005, Puebla was sentenced to life in prison withoutthe possibility of parole.The following evening, Coffman and two otherskinhead gang members were riding bikes whenthey saw Kenneth McGrath, a resident of Ventura.One of the gang members attacked McGrath, andCoffman jumped in and stabbed McGrath five timesin the upper torso. McGrath was partially paralyzedas a result of the attack.A jury convicted Coffman of first-degree murder andpremeditated attempted murder.PEOPLE V. SAMUEL PUEBLA[Homicide]Prosecutor: Maeve FoxInvestigator: Dan ThompsonOn the morning of January 1, 2003, the body of 19year-old Valerie Zavala, a Cal State San Jose studentand former Fillmore resident, was found in a drainageculvert along South Mountain Road between Fillmoreand Santa Paula. Later that afternoon, the body wasidentified after her parents and friends reported hermissing. She had been in Fillmore visiting her familyfor the holidays.Witnesses identified Samuel Puebla, a high schoolacquaintance of Zavala’s, as the last person to beseen with Zavala prior to her disappearance. Pueblahad obtained a ride home from Zavala in the earlymorning hours after they attended the same partyat the home of a mutual acquaintance in Fillmore.Detectives from the Ventura County Sheriff’sDepartment Major Crimes Unit discovered physicalevidence that tied Puebla to the murder, includingthe victim’s blood on Puebla’s clothing, and a shoeprint matching Puebla’s left shoe at the culvert whereher body was discovered.General Felony/Misdemeanor UnitThe combined General Felony and MisdemeanorUnit handles the vast majority of criminalprosecutions in the office. Entry level attorneysprosecute misdemeanor violations of the law includingdriving under the influence of alcohol and minortheft offenses. Veteran prosecutors within the unitoversee a wide variety of cases involving defendantswho are eligible for state prison sentences. Theseprosecutions include offenses such as robbery,vehicular manslaughter, serious assaults, residentialburglary, identity theft,and narcotics offenses.The unit contains an AutoTheft Prosecution Sectionwhich works closely withstate and local policeagencies to prosecutethose responsible for allcrimes associated with thetheft of automobiles. TheMajor Narcotics Sectionaggressively prosecutesthose responsible forthe manufacture, sale,and transportation ofcontrolled substances.Bill HaneyThe unit is home to veteranSupervising DeputyDistrict Attorneyprosecutors with provenexpertise in all mattersassociated with the illegal use and possession offirearms, search and seizure, electronic surveillance,and forensic evidence.At the end of Puebla’s trial, the jury deliberated lessthan a day before returning verdicts of guilty on all11

PEOPLE V. KELSEY DRU GLEGHORN[First Degree Residential Burglary]Prosecutor: Kevin DrescherInvestigator: Wayne SimmonsVictim Advocate: David SmithKelsey Dru Gleghorn had a history of violence and ofbreaking into people’s homes. Gleghorn entered thevictim’s home at 4:40 a.m. The victim awakened andconfronted Gleghorn with a knife. The defendantran out of the house and, in the process, droppedhis hat in the victim’s living room. Simi Valley Policeset up a perimeter in the neighborhood and aboutan hour later a nearby neighbor reported a prowlerin her back yard. The prowler’s description matchedGleghorn’s. Not long after, Gleghorn was locatedand apprehended a few houses down the street.The hat left in the victim’s living room was tested forDNA, which was found to match Gleghorn’s. KelseyDru Gleghorn was convicted, and because he fellunder a three-strikes enhancement, was sentencedto 40 years to life in state prison.PEOPLE V. ARTHUR OSBOURN[Making Criminal Threats, Attempted Murder]Prosecutor: Rebecca DayInvestigator: Mike McKendryVictim Advocate: Mayela RamirezArthur Osbourn, then 16, was walking down aneighborhood street at midday during the summerwhen he saw two Simi Valley high school girls, bothaged 15, entering a house. He followed them intothe house and confronted the girls and a boy, also15, who were watching television. He held them atgunpoint, discharging the gun twice inside the home,and threatened to shoot them. Eventually, he letthe two girls go but held the boy at gunpoint. Shortlythereafter, the boy managed to escape and ran outthe door. Osbourn followed him into the street andbegan shooting at him. After his arrest, Osbourn saidhe did not like teenagers and was looking for someteens to kill that day. While in custody at JuvenileHall, he stabbed a boy with his pencil and said that12he wanted to kill him because he hated teenagers.Psychiatric counseling records revealed that he hadbeen bullied at school and that he wanted to shootteenagers at school, but did not want to wait untilsummer was over. The defense put on psychiatrictestimony at the sentencing hearing in an attempt tomitigate his sentence. He was sentenced to prisonfor 34 years.PEOPLE V. DENNIS SHELLHOUSE[Making Criminal Threats, Kidnapping]Prosecutor: Rebecca DayInvestigator: Lance SteamansVictim Advocate: Sylvia RodarteDennis Shellhouse, a 45-year-old family man witha government job in Alabama and no criminalrecord, flew to California tocarry out a well-planned kidnapping for ransom of awealthy Lake Sherwoodfamily member. Disguised as a courier, heentered the gatedcommunity, gainedaccess to the victim’shouse, brandished agun, and ordered herto pack a bag. He lefta ransom note seeking10,000 ounces of goldbullion and 50,000in cash. On the wayout of the house,he also threatenedthe housekeeperwith his gun. Heordered the victiminto his van, but sherefused, arguingwith him while trying to secretly call 911.After several minutes,Shellhouse fled without thevictim. The defendant led policeon a two-hour chase through several

counties that ended with a four-hour standoff on afreeway in Los Angeles, during which he threatenedsuicide. The defense at trial was that Shellhouse wasacting under a Prozac-and-prescription-medicationinduced mania. Shellhouse was convicted and sentenced to life plus 17 years in prison.Senior Deputy District Attorney Bill Haneyand Deputy District Attorney Alvan ArzuPEOPLE V. JOSHUA ADAMS[Criminal Threats, Possession, Resisting Arrest]Prosecutor: Kevin DrescherJoshua Adams was under investigation by the DEAand the Simi Valley Police Department, who wereabout to serve a federal search warrant at Adams’shouse in Simi Valley. At the time, Adams was in acar a few blocks away. He discovered what washappening and fled back toward his house, tossingheroin and other drug paraphernalia out of his caralong the way. Once back at his house, Adamstried to run inside. A Simi Valley K-9 officer and hisdog, Rex, gave chase. Adams refused to complywith commands to stop, so the K-9 officer andRex apprehended him. Adams verbally threatenedthe officer’s life for arresting him. The defendantwas charged and convicted of threatening theofficer’s life, possession of heroin, and resisting arrest.TSexual Assault /Family Protection Unithe Sexual Assault / Family Protection Unit (SA/FPU) is comprised of four units: Sexual Assault,Domestic Violence, Elder Abuse, and MentalHealth. Offenses handled in the Sexual Assault Unitinclude child molestation, rape, kidnapping, sexualbattery, indecent exposure, Internet-related sex offenses, failure to register as a sex offender, and felonychild abuse. The Domestic Violence Unit prosecutesspousal battery, attempted murder, spousal rape,stalking, child abuse, criminal threats, and othercrimes committed by partners in an intimate relationship or amongst family members. The Mental HealthUnit handles sexually violent predators and mentallydisordered offenders seeking release into the community from mental institutions. The Elder Abuse Unitspecializes in crimes committed against elders, suchas identity theft, financialfraud, grand theft, physical and mental abuse, orany other crime committed against an elder.SA/FPU prosecutors arespecially trained in theirareas of expertise andwork closely with locallaw enforcement agencies to provide consultation and search warrantassistance on individualTony Woldcasesearly in the investiSupervising Deputy District Attorneygative stages. Sexual assault prosecutors respond 24 hours a day, 365 daysa year to either of the multi-disciplinary interviewcenters located in the county to observe victim interviews and assist law enforcement. Prosecutors,police, medical professionals, and victim advocatesseamlessly integrate at each center to provide support and assistance to child and adult sexual assaultvictims, as well as felony child abuse victims. Oncecharges are filed, SA/FPU prosecutors work alongside district attorney victim advocates to supportvulnerable victims throughout the criminal justiceprocess. Unit members also participate in varioustask forces and committees related to sex offendermanagement, domestic violence, and elder abuse,and provide formal training to law enforcement onthe effective investigation of such crimes.13

PEOPLE V. ALEX ALLBILLAR, ALBERT ALLBILLAR, andANTHONY MADRIGAL[Sexual Assault]Prosecutor: Rameen MinouiInvestigator: Mike McKendryVictim Advocate: Greg BakerOn December 29, 2004, the defendants picked upthree underage girls and took them to the defendants’apartment. Albert began having consensual sex withone of the girls, but she eventually asked him to stopand take her home. All six persons left and that girland one other were taken home.On the way to the third girl’s house, one defendantclaimed he needed to use the bathroom and thattheir apartment was closer. All four went inside theapartment where Albert took the remaining girl intothe bedroom. He confessed having sex with the firstgirl and began to remove the girl’s clothing. The girlconsented until the remaining defendants enteredand asked to join. She refused. All three defendantsthen held her down and took turns raping her. Whenshe slapped Anthony, he bit her repeatedly. When thedefendants were finished, they took h

Steve Bennett District 1. Gregory D. Totten First Term Report This report describes the work and accomplishments of the dedicated men and women in the Ventura County District Attorney's Office during the four-year period 2003 through 2006. This was a time of transition and change within the District Attorney's Office. In