Accused Killer’s Appeal Is Rejected
The California Supreme Court has decided not to hear the appeal of a Ventura man charged with capital murder in the slaying of a woman nine years ago.
Michael Schultz, 42, had challenged an appellate court ruling that a judge erred when he dismissed the case at trial because of a filing mishap. Prosecutors successfully argued that the judge abused his discretion and that the error did not violate the defendant’s rights.
The case will proceed to a preliminary hearing next month.
Schultz is accused of raping and strangling Cynthia Burger, 44, then burglarizing her Port Hueneme townhouse and setting it on fire in 1993.
The slaying went unsolved for six years before a tip led investigators to Schultz. He is charged with one count of murder committed during a rape and burglary.
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