Charles McAleer-BonillaRecently, a delay in testing the DNA in an April homicide in Noe Valley came back to haunt the department when the suspected killer, Anthony Alvarez, took a toddler hostage in Sacramento. Alvarez was killed by deputies who freed the child.No mention on the SFPD site of this update and the case is still open.Before the Sacramento incident, San Francisco police had not yet identified Alvarez as their suspect in the Noe Valley case. But Alvarez had told a family member about details of the April 8 killing of Charles McAleer-Bonilla that only the killer would know, police say.
A week after the killing, Alvarez skipped out on a San Francisco behavioral health court program and was soon tied to three bank robberies and an incident in which he shot at a Concord police officer. Alvarez was shot dead on June 11 during the standoff in Sacramento.
The drug lab did not start its testing of the DNA evidence found in the McAleer-Bonilla slaying until May 18 and did not produce a profile until June 9, the same day the three-day hostage crisis began in Sacramento, officials say.
On June 13, the DNA got a hit on the state's database, but authorities have yet to confirm that the DNA belonged to Alvarez. The Sacramento sheriff blamed Alvarez, and not the lab, for what happened.
[Photo: San Francisco Police Department]
4 comments:
Hard to believe that a murder case does not get priority treatment, even in a dysfunctional lab. Where is the outrage and action from political and police leadership? This was a murder where ample blood from the attacker was left at the scene and a simple genetic match would have ID'd the attacker, whose DNA was in a database. Instead, he was free to commit more crimes, including threatening the lives of the public, the police and an infant.
The DNA lab surely dropped the ball on "solving" this murder. If it is this guy, I hope Chuckie's family gets some peace because they surely can't get answers now that the guy is dead...after robbing banks, shooting at officers and holding his cousin's baby hostage.
A previous article (dated June 14 on sfgate.com) stated, "McAleer-Bonilla and Alvarez knew each other, but police did not say what they believe the motive for the killing might have been. Alvarez had a history of mental illness and was on probation in San Francisco at the time of the slaying for a drug case. He had repeatedly violated his probation, most recently with a domestic violence offense.
Homicide Inspector Brian Delahunty said investigators strongly believe Alvarez killed McAleer-Bonilla. "He knew some details that only the killer would know," Delahunty said."
It is all so sad, may they both RIP.
It's official - the killer of a Noe Valley resident, slain in front of his own home, could have been identified and incarcerated shortly after the attack. But the attacker had the completely broken SF crime lab on his side, so he was free to put more people in harms way. How many more of these are yet to come?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/01/BA1T1E8D1G.DTL&tsp=1
Where is justice when you need it...why would they let someone like Alvarez walk the streets! Charles was my cousin and it breaks my heart that no one brought this criminal in when the evidence was so obvious...who is working that crime lab anyway or did they just decide something else was more important!
RIP cousin...
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