OAKLAND — Richard Debnan Charles is sentenced for murdering his 32-year-old fiancée and stuffing her physique in a trunk, will probably be the second time an Alameda County choose throws him in jail for a murder.
In 1985, Charles was charged with homicide for fatally stabbing 28-year-old Delcenia Maria Wright inside her Oakland house. He later acquired an 11-year jail sentence after pleading no contest for voluntary manslaughter, information present.
Wright was discovered lifeless in her house on 89th Avenue, close to the place Charles lived. He instructed police on the time the 2 met via working on the similar membership and that he went to her dwelling, found her physique, and stole jewellery from inside. However he confessed to mates that he stabbed wright as a result of she wouldn’t have intercourse with him, in line with courtroom information.
Now Charles, 70, is again in custody for an eerily related crime. Final week, an Alameda County jury discovered him responsible of second-degree homicide within the loss of life of Anika Crane, who disappeared for a number of months in March 2020 earlier than her physique was found.
Prosecutors stated Charles beat Crane to loss of life along with her personal fists and stuffed her physique into the trunk of an deserted automotive, which was later found beneath Interstate 580 within the unincorporated space generally known as Ashland, close to Hayward and San Leandro.
Charles was apparently upset that Crane had discovered a brand new boyfriend, and confronted them each shortly earlier than she disappeared. When Crane’s household tracked Charles down and demanded solutions, he instructed them he was supposed to fulfill Crane for a dinner date that night however that she’d by no means proven up, in line with Oakland police.
Throughout trial, prosecutors argued Crane had stayed at Charles’ dwelling — an RV — the night time earlier than. They stated Charles killed Crane that night time, enlisting assist from an unnamed particular person to eliminate the physique whereas spending hours cleansing his dwelling.
Charles’ lawyer, Miki Tal, unsuccessfully argued there was no motive provided by prosecutors and little or no blood discovered on the crime scene. However the jury returned a responsible verdict inside a day of starting deliberations.
Prosecutors revealed particulars of the prior murder in courtroom filings, earlier than Charles’ homicide trial earlier this month.
In Wright’s killing, police have been initially stumped, theorizing she might have been shocked by a burglar. Later, they spoke to neighbors of Wright, who recognized Charles. Throughout a police interview, Charles initially stated he and Wright had drinks that night time, and he or she was alive when he left, however later modified his story, in line with media reviews on the time.
“This was an innocent woman in her own home, minding her own business,” a police investigator instructed the Oakland Tribune in 1985. “There was no reason for it.”
Workers writers Harry Harris, Jakob Rodgers, and Shomik Mukherjee contributed reporting.
