2008 Woodie Awards
Hochstraser murder trial update
Former De Anza staffer charged with murder appears in court
La Voz Staff Report
Issue date: 9/25/06 Section: News
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Former De Anza College staff member Alexandre Hochstraser made a brief court appearance Wednesday at the Hall of Justice in downtown San Jose.
Hochstraser was arrested in June of 2005 for the murder of his live-in girlfriend, Mission College employee, Dolores Gonzales.
At 9:45 p.m. on June 5, 2005, Santa Clara Police received a call regarding "suspicious circumstances" at the apartment.
Hochstraser was arrested after police discovered a dismembered human body, later identified as Gonzales, in large plastic storage tubs in the couple's red Volkswagen Jetta parked at the apartment complex.
According to search warrants, police gathered evidence indicating that Gonzales' body was cut up in the shower in the couple's apartment. Police seized the shower drain system during their investigation.
Officers reported smelling bleach in the apartment and found saw blades on the kitchen table, as well as Gonzales' fanny pack with her identification and keys. Police also found a receipt for plastic storage bins and a human model with the limbs removed.
According to police reports, Hochstraser and Gonzales had an argument that turned physical the previous night. A relative of Gonzales called police after her family was unable to reach her the next day.
Hochstraser plead not guilty to one count of murder later that month.
In May, a taped phone call, believed to be a conversation between Hochstraser and his mother, was presented in court. "I killed Dolores," the man on the tape said.
Hochstraser is scheduled to appear again at San Jose's Hall of Justice on Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. in courtroom 24. The Hall of Justice is located at 190 West Hedding Street in San Jose.
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