A 63-year-old man was behind bars Wednesday on charges of fatally stabbing a transgender woman in Santa Ana in 1989.
Doug Gutridge, held on $1 million bail, made his first appearance in court Thursday when his arraignment was put off until Jan. 2.
Gutridge’s arrest on Dec. 9 is the first for a newly formed Orange County cold case task force.
On Thursday at a news conference, detectives will discuss the task force and the Gutridge arrest.
Gutridge, charged with one count of murder, is accused of killing 35- year-old Carla Leigh Salazar on June 28, 1989, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellin.
Gutridge and Salazar were acquaintances, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
Through advances in technology, authorities linked the defendant to the crime through DNA, Bertagna said.
— City News Service