Thanks, Mung.
I had never heard of the case... so I watched the vid at your link.
Mark Duenas says he's innocentMy Thoughts: 1. Confirms what was shown in GZ case... DO NOT submit to LE interrogation without lawyer
2. DO NOT talk on phone
3. As far as his guilt or innocence.... based up on that news item it seems like a weak Prosecution case, based on small snippets taken out of context... but...... the Jury saw and heard far more. I'd at LEAST like to see complete interviews (and see the body language), and entire phone calls to put the snippets of conversation in context.
4. That news item itself was cobbled together from just VERY SMALL snippets of the case, and so ironically the news item is subject to the same flaws as it it suggesting were in play with this trial and Prosecution case.
A post from "kellabeck"
Quote:
Last night's DATELINE was an account of the murder of Karen Duenas in Cottonwood, Calif. and the trial, hung jury, retrial and conviction of her husband Mark.
Correspondent Keith Morrison was openly skeptical in his interview with the second (successful) DA, insinuating there was no evidence to support the charge let alone a conviction.
I've been reading summaries of the retrial and I find Mark Duenas' guilt to be conclusive based on the evidence. And the notion that "drug addicts" (Morrison's term) might randomly select a darkened house, slit a screen from the top, leaving the bottom attached, enter the window without disturbing any dust, not wake the victim, find her in the dark, stab her in the back, turn her over and stab her chest, and then leave without depositing any blood on the way out and not taking any valuables.
Also, the couple's son had returned home about 15 minutes before discovery of the body and he says his mother's lights were out and her door was closed when she would normally wait up for him. The husband claimed he heard the sound of cats' screeching and got up from his bed in his bedroom and looked out back and saw nothing. He says that Karen's light was on and he went into the master bedroom and found her lying in a pool of blood.
First responders said the blood was dry or drying. Her face had been wiped with a cloth which was found there. When the body was removed the next morning it was in full rigor mortis. The condition of the body and the blood indicate that the event happened earlier, not immediately before the discovery of the body. And the prosecutor told the jury that Mark had waited for his son to come home, hoping he would discover the body but when he had just gone to bed, Mark then had to do it.
Mark Duenas had been carrying on an emotional affair through texts, email and phone calls with a woman who had been a classmate in school. They had not seen each other since HS. Karen discovered this romance through the phone bill. Mark pledged to stop contact but then acquired a prepaid phone to continue in secret. The woman, feeling guilty, ended the contact in the weeks before the murder.
The show featured the 911 call of Duenas and the two sides disputed what he said. Prosecution said that he said, "I killed my wife, expletive, there's blood everywhere" while the defense claimed he said "I found my wife sick. There's blood everywhere." There is a further tape to listen to on the DATELINE site. Mark Duenas in a phone call from jail says "I said what they say I said" You can listen for yourself.
Also most important was Mark's statement to police that he heard gurgling coming from Karen. Prosecution contended that was only possible if he had been present when her trachea and aorta were severed.
There was also testimony from neighbors that a scream was heard around 10:30 that night, consistent with the prosecution theory.
The first trial ended in a hung jury, split 10-3 for acquittal. His family and her family, united behind Mark, urged the prosecutor to drop the charges but he was retried and convicted.