After Murdering Girlfriend, OC Man Watched TV With Body, Police Say

COSTA MESA, CA — A 49-year-old Orange County man was charged with murder after he was accused of killing his girlfriend and stuffing her body in a trash can, Orange County prosecutors said Monday.

Orange County prosecutors said that on the night of Oct. 20, after a night of drinking and an argument, Costa Mesa resident Daniel Allen Aldrich strangled his girlfriend, 38-year-old Irvine resident Julie Anne Sanetra, before slitting her wrists with a folding knife.

"Aldrich is accused of leaving Sanetra's body on the couch while he watched television before going to bed," an Orange County District Attorney's Office news release said. "The next day, Aldrich is accused of dragging Sanetra's body outside and stuffing her inside of a trash can, on the side of his house."

Her body would be discovered by gardeners hired to mow Aldrich's lawn on Oct. 22. According to prosecutors, her body was spotted partially outside of the trash can located in the 1900 block of Maple Avenue.

The 49-year-old man was arrested at his mother's home in Glendale less than a day later, the Costa Mesa Police Department reported.

"Julie Sanetra did not deserve to be strangled and stuffed into a trashcan like a piece of garbage," Orange County DA Todd Spitzer said. "The callousness of this crime shocks the conscience, and we will do everything to get justice for Julie and her loved ones."

The 49-year-old, who is being held on $1 million bail, is charged with a felony count of murder and a felony enhancement of the personal use of a weapon during the crime.

If convicted as charged, Aldrich faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 19.