Costa Mesa man charged in death of girlfriend, who was strangled, slashed, left in trash

COSTA MESA, Calif. (KABC) -- A Costa Mesa man has been charged with murdering his girlfriend then leaving her body in a trashcan at his home.

Daniel Allen Aldrich, 49, has been charged with one felony count of murder and one felony enhancement of the personal use of a weapon.

Aldrich is accused of strangling 38-year-old Julie Anne Sanetra last Sunday, after the couple got into an argument - then slitting her wrist with a knife.

A 38-year-old woman has been identified after authorities say she was killed by her boyfriend and stuffed in a trash can in Costa Mesa.

Authorities say the incident happened after a night of drinking. The couple got into an argument and Aldrich allegedly strangled Sanetra and slit her wrist with a folding knife, then left her body on the couch while he continued watching TV and then went to bed.

He then allegedly left her body in a trash can outside the house, and drove to his mother's home in Glendale. Landscapers found her body in the trash can the next day.

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