New DNA Evidence Available in ’91 Murder
Prosecutors presented new DNA evidence in the case of a 9-year-old girl who was kidnapped from her home, sexually assaulted and murdered in 1991.
If a judge rules that 40-year-old Manuel Bracamontes must stand trial in the slaying of Laura Arroyo, the district attorney could seek the death penalty.
Police arrested Bracamontes last year after tests determined that his sperm cells were found on cotton swabs used to examine Laura’s body.
Laura answered the door to her family’s condominium June 20, 1991. She was found later at a Chula Vista industrial park, beaten and strangled.
For weeks after her death, thousands of people traveled to a blank billboard in that city, where they reported seeing a ghostly image of the girl’s face.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
