Police Say Slaying Scene DNA is Teen’s

Forensic scientists have matched hair and saliva from a bloody ski mask found in the bedroom of a slain Garden Grove couple to a 19-year-old friend of the victims’ son, court documents said.

Officials said the DNA evidence bolsters prosecutors’ case against Gerald Thomas Johnson of Villa Park, who has been charged in the stabbing deaths of Jose and Elena Najera on Dec. 28.

Garden Grove detectives questioned Johnson within days of the slayings and noticed that he had slight cuts on his neck and face, according to a search warrant filed this week. Johnson told police he cut himself while shaving.

Investigators said three friends who gave Johnson an alibi have told conflicting stories.

During a search of the friends’ homes on Jan. 11, officers took away clothes, computers, knives and a machete, the warrant said.

Samples of blood found in one of the friends’ cars, a silver 1986 Toyota Corolla, were also taken for DNA testing. A neighbor of the victims told police he had seen a gray car pull into the couple’s driveway the night of the killings.

Detectives are seeking a second suspect, saying glove prints and wounds suggest more than one attacker.