2008 Woodie Awards
Hochstraser murder trial update
Defense attorney attempts to have major evidence dismissed
Olga Ardulov
Issue date: 10/30/06 Section: News
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Alexandre Hochstraser, a former De Anza College staff member charged with murder, appeared in court last Monday at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. Hochstraser was arrested in June and charged with the murder of his live-in girlfriend, Dolores Gonzales.
During the hearing, Hochstraser's attorneys asked to dismiss Gozales' dismembered body as evidence because the police had allegedly searched the premises without a warrant.
The hearing was primarily centered on the interview of Officer Thomas Leipelt.
According to Leipelt, he and a second officer arrived at 2810 Malabar Avenue in Santa Clara on June 5 to perform a welfare check. Christy Gonzales, Dolores' daughter, issued the welfare check on her mother.
Leipelt said he and the other officer checked several times to see if anyone was home. After a few minutes they gave up and Leipelt called Christy Gonzales saying that he thought it was better to hear the story "straight from the horse's mouth."
Christy Gonzales told Leipelt that she was worried about her mother's 2-year-old son. She said that Dolores didn't drive and never went anywhere without her cell phone.
No one was picking up either the cell phone or house phone despite several of the family's attempts to get a hold of her.
Leipelt and two other officers broke into the house. He said they found Hochstraser alone in the dark showing no concern or emotion when asked about the whereabouts of Dolores and her son.
The two other officers opened Hochstraser's car and found plastic bins containing dismembered body parts that were later identified as Dolores Gonzales. Her son was found safe in San Francisco at Hochstraser's mother's home.
Hochstraser's attorneys are working to dismiss the body parts as evidence. They contend that the search of the car was not a "code 3" response, meaning it was searched without a warrant.
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