Girl murder accused threatened with execution
“Anyone who commits an act like this in Orange County will either die in prison of natural causes or be executed,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said. “It is almost impossible to overstate the damage this type of crime causes in our community and the entire nation.”
Alejandro Avila of Lake Elsinore was charged on Monday with murder, kidnapping and two counts of forcible lewd acts on a child. Prosecutors could seek the maximum punishment under special circumstances included with the charges: the murder occurred after a kidnapping and the crime involved lewd acts with a person under 14.
During a brief court hearing where Avila, 27, appeared by video from jail, no plea was entered and a judge ordered him held without bail. He was scheduled to be arraigned on August 9. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty was expected within the next two weeks, Mr Rackauckas said.
The charges came one week after Samantha was snatched on July 15 while playing with a friend outside her Stanton townhome complex in Orange County, California. A man who said he was looking for a lost puppy carried her away while she was kicking and screaming. Her body was found a day later. Investigators said she had been sexually assaulted and asphyxiated.
A description of the suspect from the playmate and tips from the public led Orange County sheriff’s officials to Avila. Authorities have said they are certain Avila is the man who abducted Samantha, whose smiling face surrounded by curly brown hair has been shown repeatedly on newscasts.
“The evidence ... is very, very compelling. We are satisfied we have the right person and will be able to bring in a guilty verdict in this case,” Mr Rackauckas said.
Avila, who works at a plant that makes medical devices, has denied any involvement in the girl’s disappearance.
