Santa Rosa man charged with 1974 La Palma killing

SANTA ANA, Calif. -- Authorities have charged a Northern California man with strangling an Orange County woman more than 40 years ago.

Sixty-five-year-old Larry Stephens of Santa Rosa was charged Tuesday with murder.

The case involves the December 1974 death of Patricia Ross.

The 30-year-old woman failed to show up for a double date and was found naked in the bedroom of her La Palma apartment.

Prosecutors contend that Stephens, who didn't know Ross, entered the apartment and strangled her.

Authorities began reinvestigating the killing in 2008.

Stephens was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence in March and gave a DNA sample.

Prosecutors say it matched some from the murder scene.