Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Hearing Begins in Strangling of Martial Arts Expert

Testimony began Tuesday at a hearing for a martial arts instructor charged with murdering a nationally ranked Taekwondo competitor with whom he worked.

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Stuart Edward Milburn, 27, faces the death penalty if convicted of strangling Veronica Estrada, 29, while she was walking along Soledad Canyon Road in Canyon Country the night of Dec. 15. A preliminary hearing to determine whether Milburn will stand trial on first-degree murder charges with three special circumstances of lying in wait, committing forcible sodomy and attempted rape began in Newhall Municipal Court.

Estrada, a Canyon Country resident, was the American Taekwondo Assn.’s top-ranked female competitor in the second-level black belt division and was named instructor of the year at Taekwondo USA in Canyon Country, where she primarily taught 5- to 8-year-old students. Milburn, a former Canyon Country resident, was also a black belt instructor, and prosecutors said jealousy of her achievements and previous disputes between them may have led to the killing.

Three witnesses told investigators that they saw portions of an apparent struggle between a man and a woman, and each of the witnesses picked Milburn from a photo lineup of six men, testified Sgt. Doral Riggs, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. One witness, told sheriff’s officials that she drove by a woman and a taller man standing at the side of Soledad Canyon Road about 8:15 p.m. Dec. 15.

“As she got closer, the taller person grabbed the shorter person by the shoulder or neck and pulled (the shorter person) over the embankment,” Riggs said.

Estrada’s partially clothed body was discovered hidden in brush the next day. Coroner’s officials said she died of strangulation, possibly during or after a sexual assault.

Milburn’s attorney, Darryl Mounger, said there is no physical evidence linking Milburn to Estrada’s murder.

He said he intends to present defense witnesses today, a rare occurrence at a preliminary hearing, where the prosecution is merely required to show that there is a strong suspicion the suspect is guilty.

“It is my intention to cast doubt on the identification of my client and on the credibility of the investigation,” he said.